A Summer to Remember
by July's Negative 40
Summary: Alfred has been going to camp since he was a fetus, an actual fetus. But this summer, will be like none before, with the new councilor and death threats, its going to take a lot to keep the camp together. Add romance and this will defiantly be a summer to remember.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a summer story of mine... Read on! Also comments are very welcome!**

The smell of the wind, the lakes, the sky, the gas from the buses, the dining hall, the latrines, Campfire Smoke and the smell of horses. Damn… Nothing beats the smell of camp. Alfred loved it. He had loved it ever since he had been able to identify it, that had been when he was four. He had been going to camp since before he was born. His mom worked as a cook in the main kitchen, and ever since then he had been enthralled with it. He loved the Waterfront, the Dining Hall, the Art Hut, the Program Center, even run-down old Tamaray, but nothing came close to his love of the horses there. God he loved them, they were so gorgeous and powerful and free, they were free, not that he was not, he was practically a free range child, allowed to wander as long as he had a bear bell. He just loved them. That is what he had aspired to do since he was a child, work with the horses, and that dream had come true. He had begun to "Apprentice" there when he was 13, and he was now 18. Alfred was working with a new American Painted mare. She was skittish and pulled ahead of him as he lead her out to pasture. It was a warm day and his flannel shirt clung to him, as he hiked back to the stables. It began tomorrow, June 8th, the true beginning of his summer. The campers would stream in on buses and the cabins would be filled. Old songs would be sung and units assigned. Burnt food, burnt fingers, burnt skin and the smell of smoke. Old friends and new. He was excited to say the least. He pulled off his hat and hung it on a hook, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He checked the time, two hours until the counselor pre camp meeting. That was enough time for a short ride, a shower and showing up fashionably late. He finished his chores and saddled his favorite horse, a gray speckled Arabian, affectionately named Stars n' Stripes by a young Alfred. She was fast and loved Alfred, just as much as he loved her. He climbed into the saddle and set off along a trail he had made over the years, dodaling in and enjoying the peace, before the storm.

It turns out that his ride and shower were a little bit longer than expected. It was 3:20 when he finally sat down next to Arthur in the Program Center. "Where were you?" A voice hissed quietly in his ear as Mary droned on about fire safety. Alfred smirked, turning to the slightly older British boy next to him. "Where wasn't I?" Arthur groaned and face-tabled. "Is there anything you would like to share with us Mr. Kirkland?" Mary asked sending him a vicious glare. He flushed with embarrassment. "Uh… No, Mrs. O'Brien." "Good." She stated firmly before returning to the virtues of metal marshmallow sticks. "A blush looks good on you, cher." Francis commented from across the table. "Shut it, frog." was all he said, hiding from the nasty glare sent his way from the head table. Both Francis and Alfred laughed. Only to be shushed a few moments later, by Ludwig who was avidly taking notes. Alfred snickered. Eventually, after about 15 minutes of the meeting Alfred lost interest and began to stare off into space, thinking about the stars, then Stars n' Stripes, then America, then… Fingers were snapping under his nose. Mary O'Brien, Irish immigrant, and head of camp for 25 years stared down at him. "Would you like to inform us what you were thinking about?" Her voice as cold as ice. Alfred shook his head and smiled up at her. "Stars, and horses and camp…" He trailed off looking once more into the distance. This time she pinched him. "Ouch!" "Pay attention, this is important. Take notes like Ludwig." She turned and walked quickly to the front of the room. "Wahwahwahwahwahwah wah." He murmured mimicking her. "I saw that Mr. Jones." Giggles erupted, around the room. "Hush all of you. I would like to introduce our new Arts and Crafts leader, Madeline Williams. Come on up dear." The room fell silent as a teenage girl made her way to the front of the room. She had long straw coloured pigtails, slightly curled at the end, and violet eyes. She stood shy but confidently at the front of the room. "Bonjour, My name is Madeline Williams and this is my first time here, obviously." Her slight accent very pronounced. For Alfred, it was love at first sight.

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It was nights like these that killed Sakura. It was not that the night itself was stressful, actually it was quite the opposite, the sky filled to the brim with stars, a gentle breeze swaying the trees, cool but not cold, perfect sweater weather, the smell of campfires and the fireflies dipping in the grass, it was the epitome of peace. She herself was not. It was the night before camp, that gave her time to think and that was a bad thing. _What if they didn't like her? What if she messed up? What if she hurt herself or them? Would they forgive her? What if she didn't remember her unit? What if…_ By this time her breathing was quick and short, not to mention the tears that choked her eyes. Sakura sat down hand on her chest, as tears streamed down her face, trying her best not to whimper too loudly, that would give her away. She sat that way face buried in her knees, as gentle sobs wracked her small frame. Until a warm hand was laid on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up, into soft green eyes. "I thought I heard you." Was all Heracles said before sitting back to back with her. He sighed heavily and laid his head on her shoulder much to her frustration. Heracles and Sakura had been friends for a long time, meeting at school, when they were young. Over the years, she had developed feelings for him, that for her part were very well hidden (They were not, every time he looked at her she blushed cherry blossom pink and looked away). They sat in silence after Sakura rested her head as well, just staring at the sky. "Do you ever wonder what the stars may be thinking?" He asked quietly, she shook her head and smiled, he always seemed to make her smile without trying to. "Oh…" He yawned. Silence again, comfortable though, it always was. He was first to speak again. "I have something for you…" Sakura sat up and turned to look at him. "What that be Heracles-san?" He produced a small ball of fur from a coat pocket. Heracles grabbed her hand and set it in it. It began to vibrate instantly. Sakura brought it up for closer inspection. It was a tiny kitten, midnight black with white paws. She looked it in awe, then looked back at the grecian. "For me really?" He smiled lightly, and nodded. "Arigato! I will tell you its name when I come up with one." Heracles nodded again and patted its tiny head. "I love cats, you know that right?" Sakura laughed. "Yes, I do…" The moonlight glinted off its tiny green eyes. She looked at the moon for a moment, it was in the middle of the sky, with her eyebrows scrunched up. Then checked her watch. Sakura bolted to her feet. "Oh no! It is already 11:00, we have been sitting here for two hours!" He just smiled up at her. "I really must go…" The Grecian hauled to his feet. "I will come to." Before wandering off towards Tamaray.

When they arrived at the door to the girl's cabin they turned to face each other. The stars danced in his eyes, as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek… WAIT, WHAT? He stood back up and smiled lazily, "I drop some cat food by tomorrow." With that he wandered into the night. Leaving her with her hand on her cheek, looking bewildered in the light of the cabin, with a blush staining her cheeks.

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To say that the people at Camp Clearwater were interesting was an understatement. And just looking around her cabin, you would have to agree. Madeline would be sharing with five other girls, in a cabin that was mostly made of screen and looked like it would be hell in a rainstorm. As a gesture of courtesy, she was given a top bunk near the door, under her bed there was a cabinet and some shelves. The rest of the beds were in awkward places, (excluding the bed across from her), the far wall from the door had two bed horizontally taking up the wall, while another bed hung over where their feet would be. Not to mention the nearest bathrooms were pit toilets and the showers where a ten minute walk. Now the people occupying those beds were even stranger. In the bed across from her was Elizaveta, who had taken three hours, literally, to set up her bed, she was now telling a story and braiding the younger of the Italian twins' hair. The younger twin, who she had quickly learned was named Feliciana, and that she was the sweeter of the two, if not by a lot. She, unlike Elizaveta, she had thrown her stuff in the cabinet, sloppily made her bed, which she promptly fell into and fell asleep. She had been that way until about 30 minutes ago, when she had suddenly woken up, disappeared, showed back up with pasta, and continued to babble until now. If Feliciana continued on like that Madeline was going to have to take drastic measures… Her older sister wasn't much better. She was currently still sleeping. Lovina, as the girl was named had taken about 30 minutes longer setting up her area before promptly falling asleep. The twins were sharing a bunk set on the back wall. Meanwhile the other two residents were just as strange. The younger of the two had just walked in a few minutes ago, accidentally bumping into Madeline. She had bowed and introduced herself as Sakura Honda, and had walked briskly, to the other top bunk in the right corner. She had already set up her bed with a pale pink cherry blossom comforter. She was now talking quietly to another girl while stroking what appeared to be a cat. The other girl she was talking to had introduced herself as Chun-Yan, before going on to make tea. Madeline wasn't sure of the relation between the girls, as Sakura was Japanese and Chun-Yan was Chinese, but they seemed to get along in a sisterly fashion, if Chun-Yan's teasing and Sakura's blush were added to the picture. So far Madeline had discovered all of this while resting on her maple leaf bedspread, and pretending to read a book. While she was observing the people around her she was thinking about what had happened after the meeting…

 _FLASHBACK…_

 _She was gathering her stuff from the table, when there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a boy about her age, standing there. He had wheat yellow hair with a piece that would not stay down (as it was bobbing with excitement) and sky blue eyes. He stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Alfred F. Jones." He said with a slight southern drawl. She shook it. "Well, I'm Madeline Williams." The boy smiled. "I know… I just came to tell you, if there was anything you need come find me…" Madeline had stared at him. "Well there is one problem with that… What job do you have?" If even possible the American smiled brighter. "I work with the horses, there's a path to get there behind Mary Randall." Madeline was confused, she knitted her eyebrows together. "They have horses here?" Alfred had nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! We just got a new painted horse a few days ago, come to think of it with your attitude you'd probably get along pretty well. If you come down tomorrow, you can help name her." During his mutterings he had looked at the floor. He looked back up at her with his a thousand watt smile. He turned and walked away, just as she realized what he had said. With a sputter of indignation and a "HEY, What's that supposed to mean?" She watched him leave._

Madeline huffed at the memory and began to actually read the book she had (The Wrath & The Dawn), which turned out to be very good. About a half an hour and 54 pages later, they decided to turn out the lights. And much to what would have been Alfred's satisfaction, he was the last thing she thought about that night. Sadly it was how much she hated him.

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Arthur was not having a stellar day. He had started it late, meaning that instead of 6 hours to pack his stuff for the summer he had two, and as if that wasn't enough, his Mum had dropped him off at 2:50, therefore he was late for being early. Camp had always been the same since he was ten. Pack up, new cabin, new friends, new bullies, but most of all Alfred, his best frenemy. They two either got together like tea and sugar, or mud and freshly cleaned floors. The Brit was already having a banner start to summer, after not being able to join his family on a trip to Italy, after contracting the chicken pox. Camp was going to change all that. It always made him feel better, there was only one thing at camp that could get him down, and this person was sitting across from him. Not much had changed about him since last summer, his hair had gotten longer, but that was about it. Same cerulean blue eyes, stubble, rose lips… _Stop it Arthur! Pull yourself together!_ Today his blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, using a ribbon. He was chewing on a pencil, Francis looked up and noticed the Brit staring at him. "Like what you see, Cher?" Arthur snapped back to reality. "What are even thinking? By the way when is the last time you showered? I can smell you from here." Francis smile flickered for just a moment, before once more being replaced by a smirk. "Two days ago. Ah Sourcils, its great to see you again, I see you haven't changed a bit." Arthur spent the rest of the meeting ignoring the Frenchman (and the American when he arrived). He could no longer ignore anyone once they got to Tamaray 4. An adult had followed them there which that by itself was weird. Before even Alfred could call a bed. The man shushed them. "Because of last years events," A pointed look at Alfred and Ivan. "We will be having assigned beds." There was gasps and sputters of resentment. "Ahem…" The man paused until all was silent. "In the first set of bunk beds on the left. Alfred on top, Antonio on bottom. On the left overhanging bed Francis, below Arthur." Horror, true horror. He continued before anyone could scream in rage. "Ludwig next and on the right overhanging bed Gilbert. The final bunk has Ivan on top and Heracles." Arthur was the first to protest. "I cannot sleep anywhere near him." He pointed at Francis, who immediately nodded and tipped up his nose in the Brits direction. The man looked unamused. "Well thats unfortunate." Was all he said before turning on his heel and walking into the twilight. Everyone else got to work decorating their areas. Arthur to the frenchman. "If you so much as lay a finger on me, I will end you." With that the Englishman sashayed to his bed.

It took the Britton until 10:00 to finish setting up his little alcove. It had books and his phone. His quilt, his meds, his flag and most importantly his secret chocolate stash. He had put on his reading glasses and pulled out Pride & Prejudice. It took him all of five minutes to fall asleep.

Francis watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest. It was now about 12:00 and the general consensus that it was time to go to sleep. Francis was the last one awake and currently turning off Arthur's light. His book was lain across his chest, and glasses were ascue on his face. Francis gently took the glasses, and put them on the shelf along with the book, he took one last look at the Brit, before turning out the light.


	2. In Which Camp Begins

**A/N: Hey just a few things...**

 **1.) Thank you for reading!**

 **2.) Translations will be at the bottom**

 **3.) Please tell me if anything is too OOC**

 **Other than that, Nothing. Enjoy!**

Today was a big day, and big days meant waking up early, and for Ludwig early meant 5:30, luckily he went to bed at 10:00 sharp. He was up and walking towards the meadow by 5:45. It was his sixth year at Camp Clearwater and this was his second year as a councillor and he intended to make a difference. When he arrived at the meadow, he almost had a heart attack. There sleeping in all her glory, was Feliciana. Her auburn hair was swathed around her head like a halo, her strange curl jumping with each breath. When Ludwig realized he was watching someone while they slept, he blushed and turned away. This happened just as Feliciana yawned and opened her eyes, before immediately closing them again.

"Ve~ Ludwig! I thought I might find you here!" She jumped up and hugged him, making his blush even deeper. He patted her head and then attempted to peel her off, but she held tight.

"Uh… Feliciana, why are you up so early? The earliest I have ever seen you up was 9:00 and that was just because school started at 9:30." Feliciana's eyes snapped open.

"Ve~ I took a little bit too long of a nap yesterday and I woke up really early. I figured you would wake up early too~" She finally said letting go of him.

"Well are you going to train, or not?" He was definitely startled.

"Yes… I was about to start my run when I noticed you here." She grabbed his hand. "Then lets start, no?" and took off running.

They jogged towards the new units, Feliciana chattering all the way about camp.

"That was the unit I had my third year." She gestured to Treetop Trail. "I had 8-9 year olds. I hope I have littler kids this year~." She slowed down and turned to Ludwig who had also slowed down. "Did you hear that?"

She asked quietly, he shook his head no and she picked up the pace once more.

"I bet it was nothing."

They ran the loop, two more times before starting the long haul to the dining hall. They walked slowly, only once stopping so Feliciana could pick up some daisies. They wandered past the garden and gaga ball pit. The smell wafting from the dining hall was making his mouth water.

Eggs… Sausage… Coffee…

Ludwig pushed through the doors, closely followed by Feliciana. They walked to the big double doors. It was already noise, about half of the 50 councillors had arrived and Alfred was one of them (So you know the noise was unbearable). They walked to the end of the breakfast line. His nose had been right. Amelia had cooked breakfast too, so you know it was good. Ludwig got his meal and headed to the center table, Feliciana following closely behind, where the rest of his cabin was already sitting.

"Ciao guys~ I'm sleepy." With that she laid her head down on the table and promptly started snoring. Ludwig rolled his eyes, as Gilbert poked her in the face.

"God damn it Feliciana, the fucking kids came today, and you decided that today would be the fucking greatest day to go out early with the potato bastard." Lovina poked her twin in the face with a fork.

"Damn fool…"

"Oh Lovi, don't be that way… I'm sure she just wanted to make a good impression…"

"A good impression!? A fucking good impression? On the fucking potato whfhakfjajgh" Antonio shoved food in her mouth.

"Lo Siento, She is crabby, when she does not have coffee." Ludwig rubbed his face, pushing his glasses into his slicked back hair. He was getting stressed, but he didn't have to process that because someone gave him a hearty slap on the back.

"Don't worry kleine bruder, they will love you." Ludwig looked his brother incredulously.

"But they will still love the awesome me best." Ludwig shook his head and continued eating. Just then Alfred, who looked disheveled as always (more now), yelled

"The buses will be here in one hour."

There was genral panic and a mass exodus of the dining hall. Tamaray was a mess. Ludwig was just getting his shirt on when he heard humming. "Ludwig~" He pulled his shirt on just as she walked through the door. He smiled lightly as she hugged him.

"Come on Feliciana, lets meet the campers."

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Madeline was excited, this is what she had been looking forward to since learning about camp. The moment you meet your campers. Luckily for her Sakura (who she quite liked) took the liberty to explain how the day would go. First meeting at the buses, then flag ceremony, then sorting into units, and then the rest of the day was devoted to decorating cabins, getting to know each other and setting up units. Her thoughts were cut off by the honking of a horn. A bus had arrived pulling a large trailer. The councilors were standing in a semi circle, with Alfred at the center (he got to welcome them since he had been going to camp the longest, age before beauty). Slowly the bus doors opened and a blonde bullet shot out and jumped into Alfred's arms.

"Hey Louis!" He picked him up and settled "Louis" on his hip before turning to the small crowd of people standing in front of him.

"Welcome to Camp Clearwater! Come on, don't be shy, find your old councillors and say hi, greet your friends and prepare for the best summer of your life!"

If his words didn't propel the children forward, then it was his hollywood smile.

Madeline stood off to the side and observed the interactions. Alfred seemed to be very popular with the 7-9 year old range, they crowded around him, hanging on his every word. Antonio seemed to be the same but for a different reason, he seemed to exude happiness and also had an unending supply of sweets.

Next up was 9-11 who all seemed to like Arthur, Heracles and Gilbert. Arthur because… He was Arthur, half magical, the other half mad and that seemed to sit well with them. They seemed to like Heracles because he was laid back, but imaginative (philosophical) and Gilbert because he was awesome, full of energy and ADHD just like them.

All she could tell about Francis and Elizaveta were the sex appeals of both genders.

Sakura seemed to attract the smaller, quieter kids. Chun-Yan had a small group around her that was steadily growing, the ones closest seemed to be other siblings two asian girls; one in green and one in pink and four boys; one who smiled a lot, another that reminded her of Alfred, one that was emotionless with huge eyebrows and one that had was playing with a deck of cards.

Another thing she realized in this time was that Feliciana and Ludwig were exact opposites, all the kids loved Feli, they gathered around as she talked with her hands and laughed at jokes that weren't funny. Ludwig on the other hand stood off to the side like her, eventually though, a little girl tugged on his pants and he looked down and smiled, lifting her up. What surprised her the most was that the two least likely people had the smallest kids wrapped around their fingers. Ivan was kneeling on the ground with two little kids sitting in his lap listening to another tell a story, there was about ten more surrounding them. Lovina, near by, was also on her knees, but she was in the middle of a huge group hug. She looked exasperated, but slightly excited at the same time. Madeline was pulled out of her observations, by a tap on the shoulder.

A very tanned girl about 13 looked at her and said "Hi I'm Abby Jackson and you must be new." Madeline was stunned by her bluntness, but shook the hand anyways.

"Uh.. yeah. I'm Madeline Williams." She smiled like a cat.

"I've been going here for years. I'll show you the ropes." Madeline laughed.

"Well, I think I would like that." Abby was gone when she opened her eyes. She returned a moment later dragging two people with her.

"This is Emma and Maddie." Both girls waved.

Madeline smiled, just as Ivan noticed Abby. "привет Кристина вы готовы , чтобы начать?"

Abby smile creepily. "Конечно, я Иван , я победит в этом году." Needless to say Madeline was very confused. Maddie stepped into to explain

"Every year they have a prank war and taunt each other in Russian." Madeline nodded.

This place just keeps getting stranger…

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Lovina was uncomfortable, given the fact that she had just spent 15 minutes in a group hug, this should not be surprising. Now she was doing flag and they had decided to make her flag bearer. So, there she stood at the front of the line, with all eyes on her as she muttered swear words while carrying the flag of the United States of America. She walked in her fucking short shorts and tank top, while carrying the fucking flag of the United States of America. She sighed.

Deep breaths, this shit will be over soon, then I'm going to kill the tomato bastard who keeps "accidentally" touching my butt, let's get this done…

She straightened and walked with purpose towards the flagpole.

The rest of the ceremony was done in about five minutes, as she and the councillors retreated to the back as Mary took the reigns. "Hello Campers!"

"Hi Miss Mary!" She smiled.

"Are you guys ready for a great summer?" There was a loud chorus of yeses, yeahs and yays. One that sounded suspiciously like a 'hell yeah!' Coming from Alfred's direction.

"Are we ready to meet our counselors and find our cabins?" Even louder this time. She laughed and held up her hand, in return everyone else did as well.

"Then I'll get to it..." She pulled out a binder and shuffle stuff around. Lovina was hoping that Mary had done as she had asked. Chun-Yan wanted to work with younger kids, while she the opposite and they had decided that they would switch off every two days.

"Aha! Starting with unit one. We have Chun-Yan, come on up!" The short Asian girl walked to meet Mary. "Her campers will be Elianna Locola,Oz Honmyr, Andrew Kleschult, Adily Honmyr, Connor Hall and Connor Welsh." The young ones rushed up and gathered around Chun-Yan.

"Now councillors, once you have your unit please collect their stuff and take them to their cabins. After they have there areas set up take them on a tour and show them their units." Lovina closed her eyes until the new girl was called.

"Madeline Williams, you're the councillor for Unit 8, with Chris... " "Abigail!" Someone shouted. "Okay, Abigail Jackson, Emma Tarlton, Madeline Lamwers, Bernardo Klein, Caleb Huang, Per Swenson, Phoenix Bradley, Lexie Leick, Samuel Rodgers, Scott Kaufman, Niamh Gerdes, Kate Lee, Helen Zhou, Anika Dahl, Tatsuhiko Suziki and Marco Nie." Madeline stood with a quiet smile as they each introduced themselves, she was so shy. It would be a miracle if she lasted a week. Lovina sighed

Poor Maple Bastard...

She tuned out until Unit 10 was called. "Now for Unit 10, your councillors will be Lovina and Chun-Yan who will switch off every two days."

Lovina stood next to Mary. "You guys are the only ones left, but I will still call your names. We have Michelle Lau, Samantha Rodregez, Brian Fangoria, Tim Markolav, Mya-Li Zuckerman, Chika Hana, Layla Cornburrow, Joey Lexington, Madison Smith and Sebastian Sedmack." They all gathered around Lovina. "Ciao. I'm Lovina Vargas, I will be one of your councillors. How many of you have been before?" Every single hand was in the air.

"Okay, so I'm guessing a tour is not necessary, then let's get to our cabins," she set off towards the road into resident camp.

"Luckily for you guys, you're old." Sarcasm dripping from her words.

"And your cabins are way back in the woods." Everyone sighed except Samantha, who laughed. They walked over to the welcome center and they sorted through the remaining items. Lovina laughed as they struggled with their stuff, finally deciding to help Hana. They got all the way back to Aintree, to find that Unit 9 already there.

"Hi Sorella! We decide that the boys are on the left and girls are on the right, does that sound okay?" By this time Feliciana was hanging on her arm.

"Well, Why the Fuck not?" Feliciana gasped.

"Lovina Language!" Lovina rolled her eyes. She turned to her campers.

"Does anyone care?" They looked at her and shrugged.

"See?" Feliciana glared at her.

This was going to be a long fucking summer…

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Ivan was happy, very happy. This year he got to work with Chun-Yan. With his little Yan-Yan. Even though he had to deal with Lovina every two days, Chun-Yan made it worth it. Speaking of her, she was just walking into Fern Hill, one of the newer units at the back, with a metal room, home to Unit 2.

She glided gracefully towards him, "Ni Hao Ivan, I was wondering if you could introduce me to your campers?"

He smiled "Of course! We have Maggie King, Charlie Welsh, Archer Souder, Petra Sedlaczek, and Henry Honmyr." Chun-Yan smiled and waved, before turning to Ivan.

"I have a proposition to make, since your Unit has 5 kids and mine has 6, and basically have the same schedules and are both in Lochbrae, we could just join Units?" She asked weakly.

He laughed. "Da! That sounds like a great idea! But do you want to use Fern Hill, or your Unit?"

Not even a moment's hesitation "Yours for sure, ours has holes in the roof." He nodded and she turned to the kids.

"What do you guys think? Do you want some new Friends?" There was a chorus of yeahs and she laughed. "Then I'll be right back." She turned and flew back into the woods.

A few minutes later she returned with Unit 1. As soon as they realized who was in Unit 2, they stampeded forward and hugged friends and family. After everyone was settled, dunk bags were set up, sit-upons taken out, 11 smiling faces beamed up at the two councillors.

"So how do you all like our solution?" There was a cheer and Chun-Yan smiled,

"Well we have a few things to do today. First of those would be to decide what we want to cook two days this week…" Ivan pulled a list from inside a folder.

"Some of our choices are Ham Au Gratin, Taco's in a bag, Hobo Stew and Hot Dogs." There was instant chatter.

"Hey Ivan, do you think it's a little noisy here?" Chun-Yan winked and said awkwardly loud.

"Oh Yes, I agree with you…" The noise dropped suddenly.

"Okay, we are going to close our eyes and raise our hands for which ones you want, you get 2 votes."

In the end, they would be having hot dogs and tacos. Chun-Yan laughed. "Well now that that's settled, let's setup our camp!"

The kids cheered. Ivan watched as the smaller Asian put them to work. Gathering twigs, stringing rope, until Ivan noticed something quite interesting. Addy was crying on a stump, off from everybody else. A little boy was sitting next to her, holding her hand, while another noticed Ivan watching and ran over. He tugged on the councillors shirt.

"Someone hurt Adily." The little boy grabbed his hand and tugged him over. The little mixed race girl was using her fluffy hair as a curtain. Ivan pushed it back.

"What is the problem подсолнечник?" She looked up at him and rubbed her eyes, before looking at Ozzy, the younger turned to Ivan.

"Kayla pulled her hair and made fun of her…" Ivan looked at Addy who burst out.

"She called me a half breed puppy." She started crying again. Ivan's eyes hardened and he turned to Henry.

"Its because she was adopted…" Ivan picked up the little girl.

"She is so silly!" Addy looked up at him incredulously and the tears began to fall faster. "How could she not notice beautiful you are!" The little girl looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"If you feel bad that you were adopted, just remember this. Your parents chose you, but Kayla's parents are stuck with her." Addy giggled. Ivan set her down, and Ozzy instantly hugged her.

"Kayla's parents are stuck with her…" He whispered and they fell on the ground laughing. Ivan smiled and looked down at Henry, who looked back and smiled. He watched as a Chun-Yan set a hand on Addy and Ozzy's shoulders.

"Hey we're going to play a game, do you want to play?" The 5 year olds nodded and grabbed her hands.

She walked past Ivan and winked, making a blush creep up his neck.

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Sneaking out at night, was just as easy as ever. So easy that in fact Gilbert was whistling as he wandered through the forest to their spot. He wandered down the now well worn path. He came to a huge willow tree, pushing past the long leafy branches to a small clear occupied by a bench. On that bench, was a teenage girl.

Damn it! She beat me here…

Elizaveta looked up at him with her big green eyes.

Fuck, she's hot…

"Hey liebe…" He said creeping up behind her.

SMACK!

A frying pan smashed into his face.

Where the fuck did she even get it?

"Oh it's just you…" She said, nervously rubbing the edge of her frying pan.

"Verdammt woman! That is going to leave a mark on mein Awesome face!"

"Awesome? Really Gilbert? You never change." She shook her head and sat back down on the bench.

"What do you mean? I am the same man you fell in love with." He sat down next to her and pulled her close. She sighed and rested her head on his chest. He set his chin on her head. They stayed silent for a moment, but only for a moment, silence doesn't last long with Gilbert. "So… Uh… How was your year?" She laughed.

"You should have seen my boyfriends face, when I broke up with him on the last day of school. It was like he expected us to get married or something. We only dated for six months." Gilbert pushed back and looked at her.

"Some people do get married after dating for six months." Elizaveta laughed and looked at him.

"Oh wait, you're serious. If he had asked me I would have said no. He was too much of a prick." Gilbert smiled with a little bit of relief.

"What was his name?" "Oh Vladimir Anton, he was from Romania." They laughed.

"So did you have any school year flings?"

"Two, the first one was short like a week, but the second was like yours, honestly on the last day of school, I thought she was going to kill, but instead, she just Bitch slapped me, and it hurt…" The hungarian patted his face,

"Well if you had come here with her, I would have done the same to you…" Gilbert looked at her funny. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, long and sweet.

"And why the hell would I do that?" She sighed and stood up stretching. Gilbert joined her and twirled her. She hummed and they waltzed. In a Disney esque fashion, the small enclosed space seemed to light up. His hand rested on her hip and hers on her shoulder. They spun, and twirled and dipped as the night progressed.

Elizaveta laid her head on his chest. "How long are we going to do this?"

He looked down at her. "What do you mean birdie? The dancing, or this?" His eyes swept the area and her before looking back into her eyes.

"This."

He spun her.

"As long as I know you love me…" Her eyes twinkled.

Perfect...

"By the way how long have we been doing this?" Elizaveta's eyebrows scrunched together. "Hmm… I think, I think it was our 10th grade summer."

"Shit that's a long time." Gilbert murmured. "Yes, yes it is."

Eventually they stopped dancing and sat down. They stayed that way for a while, just enjoying each others warmth. The crickets sang and the breeze made the branches move, only making their spot more peaceful. It was a good place to hide from the drama of camp, to truly appreciate the "Magic" of the outdoors. But as was mentioned before, silence can never last long around Gilbert. He stood up and looked at his watch.

"Shit! It's 12:30!" The hungarian jumped up. She looked worried.

"We should probably head back." He said rubbing the back of his neck. She smiled and kissed him. "Yes, that would be good."

He smiled. "Ich Liebe Dich mein schatz. Same time tomorrow?"

She nodded, before kissing him once more and going out the opposite way he had come in. He turned out the lantern hanging out the tree.  
After one last look around, he left, already anticipating tomorrow.

 **Translations:**

 **Lo Siento = I'm Sorry**

 **Kleine Bruder = Little Brother**

 **привет Кристина вы готовы , чтобы начать = Hello Christina, are you ready to start?**

 **Конечно, я Иван , я победит в этом году = Of course I am, Ivan, I will win this year.**

 **Ni Hao = Hello**

 **Da = Yes**

 **подсолнечник = Sunflower**

 **Liebe = Love**

 **Ich Liebe Dich mein schatz = I love you, my Sweetheart**

 **As for Camp food, Thats some of my favorite!**


	3. In Which the Plot Thickens

Alfred was up at his usual 4:30 AM, there was a lot to be done before camp started. He stretched, threw on his usual jeans and flannel shirt, to repel the cool of the very early morning. He put on his boots and began the long journey to the stables. Humming quietly as he passed the girls cabin, he noticed someone sitting on the picnic table out front. Red hoodie, Jean capris, red converse and pigtails, sipping at a cup of what appeared to be coffee. He walked over, trying not to look too giddy.

"Good morning Madeline!" She looked up surprised.

"Uh Bonjour… I did not think anyone else would be up this early."

Alfred laughed quietly. "No one but me, I'm afraid. Ludwig will be up in an hour." Madeline nodded and they stared at each other awkwardly.

"So… Uh… Do you want to come with and see the new painted mare? You can name her…"

Madeline stood up, with a smile on her face, before quickly righting herself. "Uh, I would love to come, only if I will not be in your way…"

Alfred gave his a million watt smile. "Of course! One question, do you know how to ride?"

Madeline gave a sly smile. "My Papa owns a ranch in Alberta. I can ride western and english."  
If even possible, Alfred's smile got even brighter. "Great! Once I watch ya and I ask, Would you like to exercise the horses with me? Maybe you'll get along with the new mare!"

"SHHHH!" Madeline hissed. Alfred blushed heavily, jumped onto the deck grabbed her hand and started jogging towards Mary Randell.

"Let go!" she pushed his hand off and he turned around looking startled.

"Sorry, sometimes I just get carried away, but we better move, or else we might not eat breakfast." She nodded and they jogged faster.

Ten minutes later, they stood in the center of the stables. Alfred took a deep breath inhaling the scent of hay, horse and horse dung. He looked over at Madeline, assessing her. Jean capris, Check, sweater, Check, Converse, NO.

"Hey Madeline, Follow me, we got to get you some new shoes." She nodded and followed him around the corner to the tack room. This was his favorite room, it smelled like old leather, grease, wool and steel. He led her through the maze of saddles and rope to the back wall that was covered in riding boots. English and western, ranging from baby size to huge grown man feet. She selected a size six and slipped her feet in (sans converse).

"Ready?" He asked as she wiggled her toes in the boots.

"Ready."

Alfred led her back through the tack room. "We have a few things to do before we can go meet her. I hope you're not afraid to get your hands dirty." The morning routine began.

An hour later, they finally finished. They were now sitting on a bench, legs out thirstily sucking down water and breathing heavily.

Alfred was first to catch his breath. "We…" Weeze "Have…" Deep breath. "To wait…" Semi normal breath. "For Tim and Tom to get here." She tossed him a questioning look.

He laughed breathily. "Ha! You think I can look after 16 kids AND 20 horses. I may be a super awesome, but I am not, in fact, a super hero. They help me out." He blinked slowly, listening to the sound of tires on dirt. "Now, let's take that ride and meet our new girl."

He stood up and lent a hand. After tugging her up they went out side. Alfred turned to her. "Do you want to ride first or meet the mare?"

Madeline thought about it for a second. "Ride first, then mare."

Alfred smiled. "Back to the tack room~" He sang.

Tacking up took 15 minutes and by that time, it was now 6:00. Alfred looked at his watch. "Whew! Time flies when you're doin' work." He turned to her. "We have enough time for a 45 minute ride and 10 minutes with the mare. Does that sound good to you?"

He probed her purple eyes. "Yeah…"

"Great! Today, you'll be riding Noksa. Need any hel…" He cut himself off as she gracefully swung onto the tall horse.

"Yes, I need tons of help." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

Alfred just smiled, climbing onto his on horse. "Let's go."

50 minutes later, they were both leaning on the edge of the coral watching the black and white horse trot around.

Alfred looked at Madeline. "You are welcome to come with me every morning, I mean if you don't mind the work…" Madeline snapped her gaze to him.

"I'll make you a deal. Every other day. Not because you're any fun, just because I love the horses." She said with a teasing smile.

Alfred pouted. "Fine we shake on it though." She stuck out her hand, they shook.

"Oh and Checkmate."

Alfred looked confused. "Huh?"

"Her name, Checkmate." She said again.

He smiled.

"Checkmate."

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

Heracles was a happy man. Not only did they put him with his favorite age group, but they put him with Sakura as well. Right now they were in the craft hut, with the new girl, who was, as it seemed, sparklingly sarcastic, endearing and on the way to being very well loved. They were currently starting this years year long craft. It seemed as though someone had donated money, because you couldn't see the sky through the ceiling anymore and the walls had been re drywalled and painted with chalkboard paint. Currently they were coming up with ideas for Unit 4's Camp - Help Craft (Or the CHC for short), The top of the list consisted of a new roof for Chickadee because the one that was there leaked. Heracles smiled at this.

Little kids are so cute… But not as cute as her…

Sakura was sitting across the room, sketching something.

Probably Manga…

He would ask her about it later, right now he needed to focus. The soft sunlight seeping through the open air windows, gave the room a magical, sleepy feel. The old building smelled like old wood, finish, acrylic paint, clay and summer time. The kids were smiling and talking adding Ideas to the ever growing list. He lay his head down on the table he was occupying.  
A little nap wouldn't hurt and Madeline has control of the children…

30 Minutes Later….

Heracles felt a tapping on his back and sleepily opened his eyes. He blinked lazily, sitting up, before noticing the paper hat he was wear and the cape. He stood up very confused, noticing all of the kids standing on the other side of the room, trying to keep the snickers to a minimum. But then the redhead, Olivia Maybe? was about to explode, but then she did. It was infectious, everyone began laughing, like so hard you could pee laughing. Even Madeline was chuckling and Sakura was giggling and that made him happy. So he did poses. This continued until one kid actually did pee there pants, then everyone just laughed even harder. Needless to say Crafts kind of finished after that, the final decision being that they were going to fix the peace garden.

Heracles watched as the kids filed out and started the short hike back towards Chickadee. He walked slowly next to Sakura, who was smiling slightly and seemed to just be enjoying the outdoors.

He decided to interrupt it. "Hey, what do we have after lunch?"

She snapped out of whatever daze she was in and pulled out her schedule. "Nothing, it appears, that means Gaga ball and games until dinner at 5."

Heracles looked at the sky. "Uh what time is it now?"

"3:00." She answered.

"Ah… and have you decided on a name for your kitten?" He asked lazily.

She was surprised. "Yes, actually, Meg."

He smiled.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Francis had worn his swim suit just in case, it's not like he wanted to go swimming, but if he had to, he would be prepared. His Unit had just marched into the clearing at the waterfront, when he noticed another Unit was already there. Unit 6. Arthur. They sat around him as his arms flew wildly around, obviously telling one of his fairy tales. His eyes practically glowed green, as he recounted age old tales of beasts and heroes. Out of the corner of his eye he must have noticed the frenchman, because the arm movements stopped, there was an "mmmmm" of disappointment, before he stood up and walked towards Francis. Arthur didn't even wait to get over to him, before he began scolding.

"You do know Frog, that every minute you are late, is a minute MY Unit can't be swimming." He said disapprovingly.

Francis just laughed and threw an arm around the brit's shoulders (Only to have it shoved off almost instantly). "As grumpy as ever I see cher, Pardon mon ami, We got caught up having "to get down" with Ludwig and Gilbert's Unit."

The Englishman's (large) eyebrows knitted together. "That is no excuse!"

Francis smiled like a cat. "Well you, are wasting precious swimming time scolding me~" He sang watching Arthur go redder, knowing he'd won.

"Whatever!" He shouted before turning back to his Unit, telling them something about sunscreen and herding them over towards the lifeguard. Francis snapped out of his haze of winning and turned to his own campers.

"Okay enfants, put your stuff over there," he said pointing to a tree split into two trunks. "Then join Unit 6 listening to Madame Anna." Francis could practically see the girls internally swooning. He enjoyed his power. He followed his campers over to the bench where Anna was standing. He joined Arthur standing in the back. Arthur scooted away without taking eyes off of the woman in red.

After the 15 minute safety speech was over, all the campers had their buddies, all tags had been put on the board and children safely under Anna's watch, he sat down next to Arthur on the picnic table near the fire pit.

Arthur was reading.

Francis leaned out enough to catch the title. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "I see we have moved on from Pride & Prejudice." Arthur didn't look up, but nodded. "Honestly I like the Hound of Baskerville, much better."

This time Arthur looked up, slightly amazed. "You've read the Sherlock books?" Francis laughed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course! What do you think I am, an uncultured swine?" Arthur blushed.

That would be yes…

He watched as the englishman collected himself.

"No… Uh… Of course not. I just figured you would read french literature." Francis laughed again.

"Of course I do! The only reason I read it was because I was forced!" Arthur was aghast, his temper slowly rising.

"What are you saying? English Literature is no good?" Francis smiled slyly. "Maybe…" Arthur's temper hit the ceiling.

"Why I wouldn't!" He couldn't even finish his sentence, he was so angry. Francis just continued laughing. He closed his eyes, letting the laughter tears pour down his cheeks.

His wake up call was a slap across the face. "Asshat! Its rude to laugh at someone's temper!" Francis who had been laughing to hard to really feel the slap, began to laugh once more.

"But your temper is so fun cher!" Arthur frowned.

"Again Rude." He turned back to reading his book. But god damn, the sun was lighting up his jaw at the perfect angle. Catching his hair and making it look golden. His eyes which were normally radioactive green, they were literally glowing, as though every word he read was kindling to the flame. Francis did his best not to stare, but it was impossible.

Rivalry runs deep, but Love runs deeper.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Madeline had only been there for one day, and she had officially decided that Mess was her favorite time of day, especially evening mess. It was loud and jumbled and like a Mess or a family is supposed to be. Madeline walked through the double doors and into the "Food Hallway" as Feliciana had aptly called it this morning. It smelled heavenly, and she closed her eyes and let her nose lead her to the front of the line. Tonight's meal, consisted of handmade fried chicken, mash potatoes, maple sugar roasted carrots, snap peas, cinnamon apple sauce and for dessert Apple pie. She piled her plate, focusing on the smells and wondering if this was what it would be like if…

No we don't think about the what ifs…

She took a moment and let the sensation wash away with deep breaths, when she noticed something peculiar. A little ways into the kitchen was Alfred. He was towering over a woman with blonde hair and soft indigo eyes. They were talking and the woman laughed at something Alfred said. His smile made the lights flicker (not literally). The woman said something and he giggled. It was when he open his eyes once more that he noticed Madeline. She waved and he waved back. The woman noticed and whispered something that made him blush. He retorted and she chuckled. He leaned down (way down), and let her kiss his forehead. That was all she saw before she was pushed out into the dining room. Madeline walked to the councillors table, where Elizaveta flagged her down. She smiled taking her place between her and Sakura. "How was your early morning ride?" the Hungarian asked wiggling her eyebrows. Madeline just looked at her with her perfected Resting Bitch Face,

"None of your business." The elder just smiled.

"I guess I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself." She said with a cat's smile. Sakura's nose burst out in blood. Madeline blanched. They sat in silence, Madeline trying to erase the images Elizaveta put in her head.

The silence stayed until Alfred sat down a few minutes later. "Hey guys sorry I'm late!" He sat between Arthur and Lovina.

"Does it look like any of us were really concerned about it genius bastard?" The older Italian said before turning back to eat her food. Alfred's cheeks coloured. Arthur had a laugh.

"Speaking of which how is your company doing?" Alfred immediately perked up.

"Great actually! I just recently sold off a new idea to Google, for a nice chunk of change…"

Heracles perked up from farther down the table. "Is that why the Craft Hut has upgrades?"

Alfred nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I donated almost all of it, not all here, some at other places like H20 for Life and The American Cancer Society, but a good portion of it went here." Everyone nodded and grumbled as though this was completely normal.

Madeline was very confused, and some part of her must have conveyed it because Arthur laughed. "Oh you are so cute poppet! You look horribly confused. Let me explain it to you… It begins in the mystical sands of time, which are dreadfully unfair if you ask me… But anyway, somehow Alfred was endowed with knowledge beyond the rest of us."

He was cut off by Alfred himself. "I prefer the term imagination… but continue…"

Arthur glared at him, but continued. "He graduated high school at 12 and college at 15 and began his life as an adult." Madeline's jaw dropped and the american smiled.

"Oh… but that's not all," Elizaveta interjected. "You know Dash?"

Madeline laughed. "Everyone knows Dash, and anyone who's anyone has an account." The hungarian opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Alfred.

"Thats mine! It was the first programing piece I did after college! It really was a big success!" Madeline's jaw dropped once more.

"You… you are the creator of Dash?" He nodded. There was silence, stunned silence. That is until Feliciana tripped and dumped her dinner all over Alfred's head. Everyone laughed. Madeline smiled.

What did I get myself into?

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

They watched from not too far away. The center table, the councillor table. The councillors were laughing and talking and joking and singing. And Flirting… They saw the way Alfred looked at the new girl. They saw the way Francis poked at Arthur. They saw how close Elizaveta and Gilbert sat to each other. They looked at each other, and nodded in agreement. Tonight they strike…

My personal head canon is that, America is incredibly smart, he just hides it. Also that Canada is very Sassy and also very smart.

 _Translations:_

 _Bonjour - Hello_

 _Noksa - Beautiful (Norwegian)_

 _Cher - Dear_

 _Mon Ami - My friend_

 _Enfants - Children_


	4. In Which Things Get Serious

**A/N: I hope you enjoy!**

Elizaveta was not normally a morning person, but once every week in the summer, she was up and dressed on time. It was her day to wake up the campers. Oh how she loved to hear their moans of anguish and calls of five more minutes. Unit 10 was always the most fun. They were always the most angry. Last year one kid came out and threw a roll of Duct Tape at her. But the overall best part of the whole deal, was that you woke them up with an obnoxious song. It was now 7:15, Wake up time for Unit 10, not only were they the most fun to wake, they also needed the most time to get ready. She had just arrived in the "plaza" of Aintree. She coughed loudly, preparing her voice, and then it began:

Way up in the sky the big birds do fly ~

But down in the nest, the little birds rest ~

With a wing on the left, and a wing on the right ~

The little birds sleep all through the night ~

Shhhhhh! THEY'RE SLEEPING!

The sun in the sky, the dew drops do fall ~

The little birds wake, Good morning, ~

Good morning, the little birds say ~

I open my eyes and roll out of bed ~

I open the window and smash that bird's head!

Oh how wonderfully violent camp songs are… She stood smiling listening to all of the swear words, whether in english or not. A job well done… She turned and left, heading for the next cabins.

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting down to breakfast. Aw... Tuesday… Waffle Day… She sighed, dipping a bite of the delicious creations into syrup. Just as she was about to shove it in her mouth, Mary spoke.

"Good Morning Campers!" She set her fork down and began the usual return.

"Good Morning Miss Mary!" The elder woman nodded in approval.

"We have a few things to discuss before we begin today's activities." She took a deep breath steadying herself.

"Today waterfront is closed, do to an algae bloom." There was a chorus of groans and boos. "Hush now… Another thing, today at 12:00, we are going to start our long awaited Gaga ball tournament."

There was a huge cheer for that one. Elizaveta felt a slight blush creep across her cheeks as a warm hand slipped into hers under the table.

Mary waited until the quiet fell once more. "Two more things, first Amelia would like it noted that if you have any fun requests for future meals, she is always open for suggestions. Second, is that everything will be pushed back 30 minutes today, on the count, that there will be a Councillor meeting after breakfast. That means Unit 10 will be in charge of games for a little while. Now back to our breakfasts." Instantly whispers started.

"Why is there a meeting?" Feliciana asked.

"They only call those when something really bad happens." Alfred whispered. Gilbert squeezed Elizaveta's hand.

30 minutes later, they were following Mary to a shed near Lockbrea.

"This is why I called the meeting." She gestured to the side of the shed. There hung a tattered shirt, cut up and slightly burned, that read "Haleakala" with a mountain made of the word Maui.

"Hey that's my shirt!"

She watched as Alfred pushed his way to the front, Arthur close behind. "Is that…" Alfred swallowed.

"Yeah, It's that shirt." Arthur patted his shoulder. Next to the shirt, a message had been written.

"Beware; We Rise Like the Sun"

In a sticky substance that looked a lot like blood.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

Feliciana was happy, not that she wasn't always happy, today had a special kind of happiness. It was a mix of genuine-Feliciana-specialty happiness, Forced-sad-day happiness and a little bit of hide-the-fear-cover-the-anxiety happiness. Right now she was smiling like always, genuinely happy, while Elizaveta told a story. She laughed, feeling the sun on her face and the soft summer breezes ruffling her hair, the way her grandpa used to. The light grew shadowy, so she opened her eyes, only to find that they had started on the foresty part of the path to the Barn. The Barn was where Archery was shot at Camp Clearwater. It took 15 minutes to get there from the dining hall alone, so it was good that Elizaveta was in charge of timekeeping. They marched past the Cranbrook cabins, stopping to say hi to Units 3 and 4, who were out playing Bullrush.

There was laughing and running and playing. Feliciana loved camp. There was so much real happiness, time outdoors and generally, the kids were great. She loved how close everyone got by the end of the summer. How the lake always smelled like rain and dust. How cozy the cabins were. The fact that Amelia could make one Inferno di pasta. How people never seemed to change, Alfred was still a child, Antonio was still head over heels with Lovina, how Elizaveta and Gilbert had their "thing", how Sakura was still a closet perv, Heracles still took random naps and quoted Plato, and how Ludwig was still, well Ludwig. It was that last thought, combined with the fact that she always squinted, that had her lying on the ground.

Elizaveta helped her up and brushed her off before looking her up and down. "Oh no! You have a cut on your knee." Feliciana giggled.

"It's fine! We're almost there, we can fix me up when we get there. Ve~" It was true, the turn off was only a few meters away.

Once all of the teens were situated (Feli and Eliza had Unit 9, the 15 YOs), Elizaveta pulled out her first-aid kit and cleaned and bandaged the cut. As it turns out, they had arrived before Unit 5. So they decided to play Mafia and about four seconds into it, they were interrupted. "Hallo losers! The most awesome Unit is here!" Came a loud proclamation from the entrance path and there in all there Germanic glory, were the Beilschmidt brothers, surrounded by 9,10 and 11 year olds. Feliciana got up, waltzed over and hugged a heavily blushing Ludwig. Gilbert laughed loudly and threw an arm around Elizaveta, and she did not look amused. "Gilbert you are 10 minutes late." The albino laughed.

"Ja, Sorry about that, we got held up because Ezra had an Asthma attack…" A blonde boy coughed and gripped tightly to an inhaler.

Ten minutes later everyone was sitting on the bench, in front of the range, listening to the safety rules of a woman affectionately called Songbird. "Now, we are down a little bit low on time. So I will have a quick volunteer." Hands popped up like mushrooms after a rain storm. She scanned down the line, until she reached Feliciana.

"Ah Feli… Want to demonstrate?"

Feliciana jumped up. "I would love to! Ve, I haven't practiced in a while." She looked down. The older woman laughed.

"It's fine! Pick up your bow!"

She skipped over to the bow rack and picked up a pink compound bow. She went to the line and waited for instructions. After 5 minutes, she was given the OK to loose her arrows. She aimed, closed her eyes and shot.

Five arrows later, Songbird was patting her on the back.

"Out of practice? Ha!" All of the arrows were inside the inner yellow circle. A perfect bullseye. A perfect 50. Jaws dropped, one Germans especially.

She bowed. "This is a national champion in front of you!"

Feliciana blushed and smiled, handing Songbird her bow, before sitting next to Ludwig. He leaned over to her.

"Can you teach me?" He whispered blushing.

"Huh?"

"Can you teach me how to shoot?" His blush darkening.

"Si" Feliciana smiled.

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Madeline was scared. The note this morning had shaken her, along with the fact, that they seemed to be targeting Alfred. Everyone loves Alfred. She was sitting at a picnic table, staring at the roof, while contemplating the day's events. Two people sat on the bench one on either side.

"Hey are you okay?" One girl asked poking her face.

"Stop it, that's not helping any!" An other girl said.

Madeline looked down to see Maddie and Abby. "Is there anything I can help you with, eh?" The girls shook their heads.

"Uh… Nooooo, we just came to see if you were alright." Maddie said.

"Also, that after you got the fire started we finished everything." Abby remarked.

Madeline looked up to find, that all the tables had been beautifully done. The centerpieces were on point. All the dishes were set out in a cruise ship manor, food was done and set out with scoops. Dish station was done, complete with hot water. All of the kids were mulling around, it appeared that they had started a game of frogger. Madeline blushed heavily, she hadn't even been watching, stuck in her own personal cloud, all the while her campers had done all the work. The spot where she had been sitting was set as well, with her own dishes. She stood.

"Hey guys! Lunch is up! Bubble Royalty first!" Caleb, Per, Niamh, Helen and Tatsuhiko lined up and go their food.

Once they had all settled down to eat, Madeline had moved from the table, to make more room. She leaned against a pole eating GS Gumbo.

She took a deep breath. "Hey guys, I'm really sorry, I was kind of spacey today…" One girl laughed.

"It's fine, most of us are older siblings, if not, I am a councillor at a Girl Scout camp. It's fine, I don't think anyone really minds." There was shaking heads and nopes and nos. Madeline smiled brightly.

"So what are we doing this afternoon?" Marco took out his phone and scrolled to the calendar.

"We had waterfront today, but since that's not happening, we only have Gaga ball on the docket." Maddie spoke up next.

"I say we play, like a four hour game of Mafia!" There was cheers all around.

"Okay, pause, can someone explain what Gaga ball and mafia is?" Jaws dropped, Lexie started crying, only to be comforted by Phoenix.

"You don't know how to play?" Scott asked. She shook her head.

Bernardo stood up on the bench. "Eat faster! We must clean and break camp so we can school her!"

Eating began to happen very quickly.

20 minutes later, they all stood around a wooden corral looking pit. Everyone hopped in. Madeline followed cautiously.

"Okay, the rules of the game are if the ball hits you between the knee and ankle, you're out. Open handed hit only, and use the sides! Jumping is allowed. Yi! Er! San! Kaishi!"

Shouted Helen before putting the ball in play. There was much jumping, springing, yelling, running and hitting. 10 minutes later, the face off began. There were three people left. Madeline, Sammy and Caleb. Madeline was distracted by the fact that Kate was trying to strangle Helen. BAM! She was hit, and hit hard. She slowly climbed over the fence and watched the two boys circle around each other. It lasted all of two more minutes as Niamh giggled catching Caleb's attention, for just enough time. Sammy was victorious. She laughed and patted him on the back.

"Do I get a kiss?" He asked sweetly.

"In your dreams pretty boy…" Madeline stated squishing his face. She let go and turned to the crowd.

"Are ready to take on another Unit?!" There was cheering and whooping.

"I can't hear you!" Louder this time. "Let's go!" They marched off excitedly towards the mess hall, chattering loudly. It made her smile. This was what she loved about camp, the fact that everyone wanted to be there and no one was ever wanted to leave. Her smile faded for a moment.

She doesn't deserve to be missed…

The smile was back, but a little smaller this time.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

To say that little kids didn't love horses would be stupid. To say Antonio didn't, you'd have to be on drugs. They were strong, beautiful, wild, free, big, small, caring, fast, and he loved it. He loved the way their manes flowed in the wind, their hooves beat the ground, but most of all, he loved the way each one was different, a personality of their own, that always seemed to shine. Antonio smiled. At that moment he was leaning on a post, watching the new mare prance back and forth. Swinging its head and shying away when he reached out. The sun was high in the sky, making the back of his neck damp with sweat.

Shade would be nice…

He wandered over to the barn, making sure to slip in quietly. Alfred stood at the front of the teaching area. All of the kids watched eagerly, clearly excited to get out of the building and onto a horse. Alfred noticed Antonio and waved him up. The spaniard walked to the front of the room, where Alfred immediately positioned him. Antonio took a second to pose like a model.

"Is he ready to ride?" The kids looked at him for less than a second before saying no.

"Why? Raise your hands."

A boy, named Pierce, raised his hand. Alfred pointed to him. "He is not wearing a helmet, his shoes do not have heals and he doesn't have jeans on." Alfred nodded and gave the boy a thumbs up.

"Yep all of those are correct. Jeans are best for riding because they are thick and not silky, but you can use any pants, as long as they are not silk, or slippery work out pants." There were no more hands and Alfred laughed.

"Does anyone have any questions?" No one raised a hand, but they all began to stand up.

"Okay come get a pair of boots and a helmet." Everyone jumped up and there was a babble of excitement. Antonio helps put on gear and leads the kids out the the horses. Once everyone one is saddled up, Alfred led him to his own horse.

"Ah, Conquistador. It has been a while mi amigo." The Andalusian flicked its tail. It has already been saddled. Antonio gives Alfred a nod before mounting the large horse. Alfred pats its rear before hopping on his horse and leading the train into the woods.

Into the sunset….

45 minutes later, he was standing by the corral once more. Alfred had not so subtly hinted he would like some time with the kids. Antonio hadn't got it, so Alfred had politely told him to go away. So there he stood, watching as Checkmate, wandered around her enclosure. He was enjoying the peace, until a smaller person joined him leaning on the corall.

"I don't get why you can just watch the cavallo cazzo prance around, like some kind of retarded butterfly." She looked at him as though she could burn a hole through his face just by staring.

He whipped around and scooped her up in a bear hug. "Ah mi Tomate! Have you come to join me?" She smacked his shoulder.

"Set me down Tomato Bastard!" He set her down, but continued hugging her.

"It's hot, let go!" He stopped hugging her, but rested an arm over her shoulders.

"Ug, fine…" He could see her light blush and snickered. "Damn Tomato bastard!" He chuckled.

So cute… She looks just like a tomato when she is angry…

"Stop it! I just came to invite you to go stargazing with Unit 9 and 10 tonight, but I knew was a bad Idea!" She began to wiggle out from under his arm, muttering something like. "Damn Chun-Yan forcing me to ask him…"

Antonio grabbed just as she was stomping away. "When and where?" She looked up at him, blush taking over her angered flushing.

"10:00 in the adventure course meadow. And don't get your hopes up! It's not a date."

With that she ran away, as though it would help hide her flaming blush.

Not a date… Hm…

Antonio smiled.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

It was a special night. Chun-Yan was excited. Tonight was the first time she would get to spend time with her siblings. She had prepared a picnic, sort of. It had moon cakes, chocolate cupcakes, White Rabbit and spring rolls. She had set her blanket out on the basketball court after tucking Unit 12, as Ivan and the kids had decided to call it. Then she invited all the councillors and the two oldest units. It was 9:45 and people were beginning to arrive. The first ones were Arthur and Ludwig, who are always religiously on time. Followed by Unit 10, who was being led by the Vargas twins and Elizaveta. They all sat down, she watched her Unit as they fought and spazzed. She sighed. Kids were fun. Her siblings weren't so little any more. She looked up at the stars as a large hand was lain on her shoulder.

It was Thai. He sat down and smiled, looking up at the stars. "This was a good idea Jie Jie." Chun-Yan laughed at the use of Mandarin and laid down.

"It's good to see you Thai," She stopped as he laid down, letting him get comfortable.

"How is Unit 9 treating you?"

He laughed and smiled. "We make up half the Unit ana~"

Chun-Yan smiled, before sitting up again. "Hey have you seen any of the others?" Thai shook his head.

"Well, I know that Im-Soo is coming with Leon, and Tomas. Nam is already here." He pointed to a girl with a long ponytail and green t-shirt, talking with Sakura.

"Where is Mei?" Chun-Yan asked. Thai frowned at that.

"She said she would be late ana~, that she had something to attend to." Chun-Yan's eyebrows scrunched together.

Thai reached an arm up and patted her head with a lazy smile. "I'm sure she will be here soon." She relaxed a little bit and laid back down. Soon she felt the ground shake and heard yelling along with the sound of someone being smacked.  
"Puta que pariu Im -Soo! Can you stop gropping people. It is rude!" Chun-Yan sat up instantly.

"Im-Soo we talked about this!"

"Eonni!" He glomped her.

"Off! OFF!" She pushed his head back.

"Get off! If you want food, that's what you'll do."

He got off instantly and began digging through the basket. Chun-Yan sighed. At least he stopped groping me...

After eating all but one cupcake, which they saved for Mei. They all laid down and stared at the sky, as if looking and being together, could discover the secrets of the universe. It was quiet for about 15 minutes.

Chun-Yan had been walking back from the bathroom, when she saw a car pull up and Mei get out. The younger asian girl began to jog towards the meadow. She wasn't paying attention and crashed into Chun-Yan.

"Oh…"

She looked up and saw that it was Chun-Yan, gasping and then hugging enthusiastically. The moon was a sliver, but the stars were bright and as the girl hugged her, she noticed bruises on her neck, bruises, not hickies. Mei's arms were slightly uncovered, due to hugging the elder around the neck. Bruises there too. Her eyes hardened and she held back a snarl. Mei pushed back upon feeling her sister stiffen.

"Everything alright?" She asked golden eyes glowing in the star light.

Chun-Yan forced a smile. "Dui… Let us go see our family and watch the stars."

They wandered towards the meadow. Nam hugged her and Im-Soo begged for a bite of her cupcake. Mei laughed and all the previous haunted look in the golden orbs disappeared, at the sight of the first shooting star. Chun-Yan laughed and smiled, but they were both hard as stones, no life or love and only one person seemed to notice. She saw how Ivan watched her, purple orbs scanning her. She turned away. This was her problem, not his, nothing hurt her family and got away with it.

Nothing…. No One….

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

Again they watched from near by. They saw how Ivan looked at Chun-Yan, The way Alfred Gazed at Madeline in wonder, The way Francis is never wandered too far away from Arthur. They looked at each other. Phase two took a while to set up. They both nodded. Preparation for Phase two begins tonight…

 _Haleakala - Is a Volcano in Hawaii that is known for a beautiful sunrise. It is also the tallest mountain in the world. At 29,703, it is almost 675 ft. taller than Everest._

 _Translate:_

 _Inferno di - Hell of a_

 _Hallo - Hello_

 _Ja - Yes_

 _Si - Yes_

 _Yi! Er! San! Kaishi! - One! Two! Three! Go!_

 _Cavallo Cazzo - Fucking Horse_

 _Mi Tomate - My Tomato_

 _Jie Jie - Older Sister_

 _Puta que pariu - Fucking Hell_

 _Eonni - Older Sister_

 _Dui - Yes_


	5. In Which the Love Stories Begin

**A/N Hey sorry, updates will be a little more sporadic now that school has started. Sorry... Also no translations this chapter, as I am pressed on time. Sorry again... This a sorry kind of day... Please review!**

Sakura liked to wake up early, like really early, like Alfred and Madeline Early. She watched as the two walked towards the stables, Alfred telling a story with wild hand movements and Madeline, just nodding along. She smiled.

They would be so cute together…

Her nose began to bleed and she wiped it away, smiling.

I should really write some Manga for them…

That made her smile go cat like. She sat there for a while, just letting the first morning rays of sunlight warm her face. She liked how quiet it was. The past week had been relatively quiet, no more blood covered walls. She shivered at the thought. A whistle pierced her soft morning world. She got up quickly and pulled the kettle off the hot plate where she was heating it. She turned around and almost dropped the ceramic tea pot. There in all of his bed headed, pajamay glory stood Arthur.

"Hey… Can I have some?" He asked flopping down on the ground and leaning against the post.

"Oh… Um, Of course, It is green tea though Arthur san."

The Britton nodded. "Oh I don't care! They only have lipton here…"

He shuddered and tried to wipe the invisible taste from his tongue. Sakura laughed. She sat down next to him and poured him a cup.

"What has you up this early Arthur-san?" The englishman looked up from his tea.

"Oh well, Alfred Fuckface Jones woke me up with his ruckus this morning…" Sakura giggled thinking about Madeline and Alfred.  
"What's so funny?" Arthur asked, a little annoyed that she was giggling at his distress.

"Oh nothing. Madeline and Alfred are so cute together…" She murmured just loud enough for Arthur to hear, who then nodded vehemently.  
"YES I SHIP IT!" He whisper yelled, careful not to wake anyone up.

Sakura nodded. "We must find a way to make my OTP canon." Artur agreed, "Alfred will not be a problem, he is love struck." Sakura smiled. "Yes, Madeline is friendzoning him so hard." Arthur snickered. "Yes I know… The naming the horse thing was a good move by him though."

Sakura sipped her tea. "Hmm… If only they would agree on something…"

Arthur sipped his tea thoughtfully as well. "Well, they are both very sarcastic… If only Alfred could read the mood."

They sat in silence, each contemplating different ways to move the process along. The sun rose higher as the two sat in the morning peace. The screen door on the girls cabin squeaked, causing both of them to jump. A tiny kitten crawled over to Sakura and climbed into her lap. It purred and she petted its side. Arthur looked at it in awe.

"Where did you get it?" Sakura blushed and looked at Meg.

"Oh… Heracles gave her to me…" A sly smile danced on Arthur's lips.

"Oh and how are you two doing?" Asking as though they are a couple.

Sakura's blush was flaming. "I-I am d-doing fine. I-I d-don't know about H-Heracles-san…" She managed to stutter. Arthur full out laughed and poured himself another cup of tea. Sakura watched him willing the blush to go away, eventually, she sighed and gave up.

Arthur noticed this and smiled. "You two are adorable! Plus, what is your cat's name?"

She looked down at the kitten. "Meg." He chuckled.

Does everyone think we're a couple?

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

The kids would be occupied for some time…. Or at least that was the theory. Some time may not be enough… Arthur thought as he speed walked away from the stables, leaving his Unit in the care of the cheerful trio, Alfred, Tim and Tom. The path ahead was sandy and had roots, not that he cared, it was just that he could be a klutz sometimes. He walked with purpose past the flagpole, main Gaga ball pit and the Mess hall. Strait to a path Alfred and himself had worked on for years until it was deemed okay. Last year Unit 10 built a set of stair to make it easier to get onto the platform, and in all truth, the stairs were a lot nicer than a bucket. He scurried up them, now sprinting to his cabin, it was past the latrines and had a view of the forest (like every other cabin). He ran into the screened in hut and ran immediately to his area, where he plugged in and turned on something hidden in a Webster's English Dictionary, that strangely had an antenna sticking out. He then began digging through his clothes, finding something suitable to wear. A faded Union Jack t-shirt, under a red cardigan and skinny jeans. Arthur tried to comb through his hair, but promptly gave up. He made his bed, set up his bookshelf behind him, made his bed and straightened his flag. He stood back to admire his back drop before sitting down and pulling out his laptop.

Why did I promise to do a live stream…. A blue button from within the dictionary blinked as he connected to his wifi. Starting in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ACTION!

"Hey guys, this is the Once and Future King. Now let's get this live stream started!"

To say Arthur was surprised when Francis slammed the door was an understatement. "God Damn it Frog! Hop off!" The frenchman gave him a funny look.

"What are you doing with that laptop Cher? There is no wifi here…" It was his blush that gave him away.

"THERE IS! YOU HAVE BEEN HOARDING IT ALL THIS TIME?" Arthur's blush deepened.

He looked at the screen for a moment before turning back to francis. "You can have some, if you don't tell anyone and you can guess the password."

Francis smiled like a cat and Arthur set his computer down on his bed, turning so you could see what was going on before resting his hands on his hips.

"Give five minutes Lapin and I will have it." Francis climbed up to his bed and began to diddle away on his phone. Exactly 2 minutes later he jumped off.

"I have got it!" Arthur's face was distraught.

"How?"

"Well the name of your wifi is NoShitSherlock so that left three choices for passwords, after factoring in the Arthur factor. 1.) NoShitSherlock 2.) Cumberbitch and 3.) Johnlock. It was 2." Arthur stared at him in awe, before turning it to a smirk.

"Then, why did it take you so long?" Francis glared back.

"Well if you are not aware, english is not my first language, and the typing was hard." Arthur puffed up his cheeks pouting.

"Whatever…" He was going to get back to his live stream, when he noticed his computer was gone.

"Hey! HEY! What are you doing give it back I am doing important stuff!" He climbed onto the top bunk. It was Francis turn to be in Awe.

"You are The Once and Future King?" Arthur nodded suddenly embarrassed. "And you have 17 million followers and then some?" Arthur nodded, his blush creeping back up.

"That is Magnifique! What other celebrities go to this camp?" Arthur shrugged and crept up next to the frenchman.

"Give me my laptop! It's live stream day!"

"Oh really, people have been watching this whole exchange?" Arthur nodded again.

"Oh so they are watching this?" He waved. Arthur sighed.  
"Yes, come on Francis sto…"

He was cut off by lips on his cheek. His blush came back full storm.  
"WHAT THE HELL!"

He smacked Francis and slammed the computer closed. Francis held his cheek and slipped off the bed.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK. WAS. THAT."

Francis shrugged. "It just seemed right… And the look on your face made this worth it Cher~"

Arthur didn't see the broken look in the others eyes. He watched him leave, before turning his wifi off. There would be memes like no tomorrow. He sighed and buried his face in his pillow.

God damn it Francis….

Maybe a good cry would make it all better.

zZzZzZzZzZz

Ah evening, the most magical the time of day. In the evening was Madeline's least favorite time of day. Councillor craft time. Oh lord she hated it. They streamed in one by one and put on her best sarcastic smile. She watched as they sat down next to their usual friends. Only two people seemed out of character. Arthur sat sulkily by Alfred, looking more downcast than usual, he seemed to be worrying and it appeared as though he carried the world on his back. Francis on the other hand seemed to be extra happy, but it was fake, all his smiles and laughs were forced, you could practically see how he was shattered. Antonio and Gilbert laughed along with him, not noticing, only one other person seemed to notice. Alfred. He watched with anxiety written in his posture. Before Madeline had a chance to get over to him, the last councillor arrived. Heracles. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Sorry I took a nap, and lost track of time…" He flopped down next to Sakura. Madeline walked up to one of the blackboard walls.

"So as you well know, it is Councillor Craft time." She stopped.

Sigh.

"And tonight we have a few different crafts…" She walked over to one table on the side of the room.

"First up is making birdhouses out of plastic milk cartons." She said picking up the example, she set it down and moved to the next table.

"Second we have making lamps with old sheets." She pointed up at the ceiling light. There were ohs and ahs, she smiled, moving to the next table.

"Third we have cloud mobiles." Again she points to the ceiling. Moving quickly onto the next table she smiles. "And finally, we have Clothes pin crafts."

She picked up the example and showed how they worked. Madeline looked at all the eager faces and jogged once more to the front of the room. "Any questions?"

She asked, no hands went up. "Then one more thing, pick one craft to do for the next two days. Thats all lets go!"

Everyone was up in an instant, looking over all the crafts before choosing one. Madeline stood at the front of the room, watching from a safe distance. At least they like it...

Once the chaos had died down, she wandered behind each table making sure that everyone was doing it right. The most popular seemed to be the lamps. She watched them fumble for a little bit before stepping in and helping. That was the most fun about being the arts and crafts teacher, you got to watch the kids suffer a bit. She chuckled at her thoughts. Catching someone's attention.

"What is so damn funny?" She whipped around to see Lovina looking at her.

"Your face." She said sweetly before spinning on her heel and walking towards table 3, leaving Lovina a little mystified.

10 minutes later, she walked back past the table. Everyone's lamps looked very nice, except for one. She walked over to Lovina. "Do you need any help?"

Lovina squinted at her.

"What are you-a trying to say?" The Italian asked angrily.

"Um, nothing. Your lamp looks just a little bit sad…"

Lovina smiled evilly. "Sad? Like your choice in-a clothing?"

Madeline looked a little bit hurt, but it was quickly replaced with a smirk. "Oh these old things? I stole them last week from your suitcase eh."

Lovina growled. "From my suitcase eh? Well thats-a funny because I have two suitcases. One for me and one for firestarters."

People were beginning to gather around.

Madeline looked at her watch. "Well, you'd better get to it this session just ended, and the clothes you're wearing, well they deserve a fate worse than fire starters." Lovina smiled and shook her hand.

"Finally some one on-a my level! Any time my dear!" With that she flounced out. Madeline watched her go, waving as everyone left.

A hand was lain on her shoulder. It was Alfred.

"I made you something."

He handed her a horse clothes pin, before walking out the door. She read it. A full moon… then she opened it. And a midnight ride… Meet me at the stables ~ A

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

It was always cool at night, tonight was extra special, it was only 50 degrees. Alfred shivered slightly, looking towards the path, waiting for her to appear. Finally she did, wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"Are you crazy? Its 50 degrees!"

Madeline just looked at him with wide eyes. "You're not kidding! Oh where I live the lowest recorded temperature is -63 or -81.3…"

Alfred just stared at her. "You're crazy."

She smiled and patted him (See smacked him) roughly on the back. "You worrywart, are a wuss."

Alfred stuck up his tongue. "I was born in Texas and the highest recorded temperature is 120. I'd like to see little ice heart in that."

Madeline blanched. "That would be horrible, you know that. You wouldn't be able to do anything."

Alfred shrugged. "I used to pick oranges in that…"

Madeline gagged. "That's gonna make me vomit, just stop!" Her voice climbing above its usual whisper. Alfred smiled and hugged his arms to his chest.

"Now why exactly did you invite me today?" Alfred's smile began to grow.

"Oh yeah! Sorry. I wanted to show you something, also I wanted to discuss the sexual tension between Francis and Arthur. It is literally suffocating." Madeline nodded and opened her mouth to say something, Alfred put a hand over it. "Let's get there first, then we'll talk." Madeline was grumpy. "Why?"

Alfred gave her the Look. "Because I said so." He then mounted his horse and began to trot away. "Hey! Wait!" She called before mounting her own horse and riding after him.

Alfred slowed down as they approached his most favorite spot. It was a barren rock, that over the years he had added to. Once he created Dash, He had added ideas from it, it now had christmas lights, a fire pit, a bear proof cabinet built into a tree where he kept his food, clothes, and blanket. It also had a place to tie up the horses. It was perfect, better than Elizaveta and Gilbert's spot. It was a lot of work to maintain, but the look on Madeline's face was priceless.

"What is this?" Alfred gestured her over. She tied up her horse as Alfred laid out a Navajo blanket.

"Come and sit." Madeline complied.

"Hey do you want to make s'mores?"

Madeline nodded. "If you're offering, I'll eat."

He laughed and began to make a fire. "So what is this place?"

Alfred sat back on his haunches. "I discovered it a long time ago… But to the more important thing… What are we going to do about Francis and Arthur?" Madeline watched the fire.

"Francis is broken and Arthur is oblivious." Alfred nodded. "This sounds awful… But I think, something needs to happen to Francis." Madeline sighed, but nodded.

"I think that's true, but first he needs to confess." It was Alfred's turn to nod.

"This is going to be harder than the others…" Madeline looked confused.

"Oh… Uh… I like to play cupid in the summers." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked bashful. Madeline laughed.

"I think that's fun! It sounds great!"

"Really?" He asked and she nodded.

"Now we can work out the details later… What did you want to show me?"

His smile lit up once more. "Oh yeah! It's a blood moon!"

He pointed to the full moon. She smiled, looking up to the sky. Alfred tapped her shoulder. A s'more. She took and he watched her bite it and smile. The moon shown down and he scooted closer. She looked at him funny, but shrugged and rested her head on his shoulder.

I could get used to this…

 **I did research on the temperatures... Alberta is hella cold... I love the cold, winter is my favorite. My future is cold. Everyone knows that hell burns like frostbite.**


	6. In Which Things Are Realized

**A/N: I am so Sorry! School is quite annoying and mum plans too many things, so no down time for me. This is finally where the romancy stuff starts...**

She loved the beat, it was it was always soft but made you want to move, but it was a secret love, or else, she would never hear the end of it from her sister. Lovina was sneaking out, very early, like 5:30. She walked on the wooded paths towards the Ropes course. The weak morning light gave everything a creepy gleam, add in the fog off the lake and that equaled a scared Lovina. She plugged into her ipod and looked at the ground, trying to avoid looking at anything.

It's fucking creepy in the morning….

A stick snapped behind her and she whipped around, only to be greeted by nothing.

God damnit!

She began jogging towards the pavilion in the middle of Ropes meadow. Upon hitting the grass, she was reminded of how much she hated the morning. One of the things she hated most about Camp Clearwater was the dew. Apparently, every night, all of the angels above the camp, were PMSing and watching the Notebook, because there was no way you were going to walk through the grass without getting wet. Lovina murmured every curse word she knew, as she trudged her way to the Coya Knutson Pavilion. The meadow itself, was perfectly mowed as ever, but that didn't stop nature from slowly creeping in on the sides. The edges were alive with wild flowers, raspberries and blackberries. She stopped walking and watched a butterfly float away from a Black-Eyed Susan.

Well why the fuck not? My shoes are already wet….

She walked along the edge in the high grasses and picked the sweet berries. They were ripe and tasted like sunshine. She sighed.

By the time she got to the Pavilion, she had filled her bandana with berries. As soon as she stepped into the small shelter, she took off her shoes and socks, wincing at the cold concrete and letting the shiver run through her. Lovina sat down a second before picking up her backpack (She had set it by her shoes) and pulling out the speaker. She took out her headphones, and connected the Ipod to the tiny speaker. Instantly the music poured out. It was calming, the clapping, guitar, and Cajon… She closed her eyes and let the music take her.

Lovina kept her eyes closed as the sound of heavy breathing hit her ears. Maybe they won't notice me… Aw they are going to fucking notice me! Shit… She kept her eyes closed tightly, as though it would block out the embarrassment or the blush crawling up her neck. She felt the vibrations as the person walked towards her, slowly, stopping at the table with her Ipod, to turn up the music.

Her secret was louder now, and the person continued forward, until a smell hit her. It was cinnamon, sugar, sunshine, carnations, the sea, cold metal, tomatoes and sun baked stones, it smelled like Antonio. The blush was now on her face and getting darker by the second.

A warm hand grabbed hers and spun her. She kept her eyes tightly closed. Another hand was now settled on her hip. Her Flamenco, had become a tango. She squeezed her eyes tighter as she felt him close in. He was warm, not sweaty warm, just warm.

She sighed again. Why should I fucking fight? There is not even a point…. I should just give i- NO NO NO! NO BRAIN! She tensed.

"Lovina, you can't dance when you are rigid… Relax…" A soft voice whispered near her ear.

"I know Dammit!" She yelled.

There was silence. She liked it that way. They continued dance, Lovina never once opening her eyes.

She kept them closed as Antonio guided her over to the bench. She sat and listened as he turned off her music. A small sigh escaped her lips.

"Antonio… Please don't te-" She was cut off as warm lips met hers. She kissed back.

That was the one thing she hated about Antonio…

The fact that she loved him…

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Gilbert was very pleased. He was pleased, because Antonio and Lovina finally got over themselves and got together. It made him smile, he noticed the same expression on Elizaveta's face, except hers was a lot creepier. He sighed… He better warn Sakura about the new Manga request… Just as Arthur burst into the dining hall. He was on the verge of tears, a few had crept down his cheeks. Francis and Alfred were the first ones up.

Alfred ran over to him. "What happened Arthur?"

The boy just scrunched up his face, trying hard not to let the hiccups escape. Francis had arrived blocking him from view and hugging him. Alfred frowned and gave a look the center table. Gilbert was up immediately, even though him and the grumpy brit were very different, they were still good friends. He joined the little huddle. Francis was cooing in French, trying to calm the teen down. Gilbert just then noticed all the stares and nudged Alfred. Alfred gave him a questioning look and Gilbert, who gestured to discreetly to the campers. Alfred's mouth slipped into an O shape and he backed up from the huddle.

"Hey campers!" All attention was on him instantly. "Madeline will now sing a song!"

The Canadian counsellor growled and stood up, understanding it was needed. All eyes were on her as she began. Gilbert grabbed the brit and frenchman and dragged them away as Alfred ran behind and they all exited to the chorus of "Canadian Please".

They stopped once inside the safety of the woods. Francis detached himself from the teen, who looked horrible. His eyes were red and puffy and his normally pale complexion was deathly white.

"Arthur… Can you tell us what happened?" Alfred asked as though talking to a spooked mare.

"W-well, uh… I was w-walking to b-breakfast…" He stopped and took a steadying breath. "When I realized I f-forgot my tea tin. So I went back into the cabin and…" He broke into tears again. "My b-bunk… Quilt…" Francis patted him on the back and led him to the stairs where he sat him down.

Gilbert's eyes narrowed in anger and he looked at Alfred who nodded, tapping Francis on the head before walking towards the cabin. It was Gilbert who walked into the cabin first. All of the bunks looked like they should, messy, clean, OCD order or disaster area, all except one. Arthur's, who was a very neat person, looked like a tornado had hit it. Books were lying on the floor devoid of pages, all of his clothes had been ripped out and some shredded, his pillow was empty as the feathers were everywhere, but at the very center, was something that was supposed to be the crown jewel. Arthur's beloved quilt, the one he had made himself, had a huge X cut in it. Gilbert growled.

"They are not going to get away with this…." He muttered and Alfred nodded solemnly. Gilbert looked at the wall, and that was when he saw that someone had defiled the Brit's Union Jack. It was written in the same blood like substance. It read:

"There is no sword in the stone, Once and Future King. History repeats itself and Morgana is Rising."

Gilbert had no time for shock, because the door burst open revealing a very pissed off Francis and a beaten Arthur hiding behind him.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Ludwig loved to watch her. Her form was always perfect, arrows always went exactly where they were supposed to go. Today Sakura was with them. She was still working on aim, but she was much better than him. The bow just felt awkward in his hands, they had tried different types of bows; compound, long, recurve, Mongolian and so many more, he couldn't remember all of the names right. They were at the barn again, it was their lunch break and Feliciana was trying unsuccessfully to teach him how to aim… Again. The girl's smile dropped for just a moment when the arrow almost hit Sakura. It was back almost instantly. "Ve~ Why don't we take a break and eat lunch. I made it!" She sang and Sakura hung up her bow and headed for the basket sitting on the ground near by.

Ludwig sighed. "I'm sorry I am no good at this, Feliciana…"

The Italian just laughed. "Oh Ludwig! We can't all be good at the same things right?" She said taking his bow and hanging it up.

"Right…" He murmured.  
"Oh don't be so grumpy!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Sakura had laid out a blanket. Feliciana plopped down next to the Japanese girl and scooped up the basket. "So I brought Spaghetti for me, Potato Gnocchi for you…" She paused to hand a container to Ludwig. "And I attempted to make Ramen for you, Sakura, but you'll have to tell me what you think!"

The Japanese girls nodded in thanks, taking the Ramen from the overexcited Italian girl. Ludwig just smiled lightly at the exchange. Feliciana was now distracted and talking about a project she did on WWII during the school year. Sakura nodded at the right times and interjected things and Ludwig just watched, eating his pasta, which turned out to be quite delicious. There was another lighting quick conversation change and this type, Ludwig's interest was piqued.

"Arthur was very sad…." Sakura nodded.

"I heard that Gilbert and Alfred are out for blood. I also heard that they are threatening Arthur, just as they did Alfred? I wonder why those two though, everyone seems to like them…" Feliciana jumped up in excitement, before sitting back down just as quickly.

"Ludwig Ve~ What do you think?" Ludwig shrugged.

"I don't know why they are being targeted, but if they are messing with people, they better prepare themselves for redemption." Sakura's eyes glinted dangerously and Feliciana's aura began to darken.

"La vendetta è dolce." She whispered, before brightening once more.

"If I find out who did it, I'll be sure to smash their face in!" She said smiling sweetly and imagining the horror.

"Hai." Was all the Japanese girl said. Ludwig looked them in slight horror, that was until Feliciana got up to chase a butterfly. As soon as she was gone Sakura scooted closer.

"You better make your move soon Ludwig-san, Chun-Yan told me that a boy in her unit, Tim I think, has a thing for her. So you better get there first." She scooted away and watched the blush creep all the way to the German's ears.

Is it that obvious? There is no guide for this situation….

He righted himself. "I have no clue what you are talking about."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Yes, and I am Swedish."

Ludwig just sighed and looked at the clouds. It was silent. Until he broke it.

"Sakura?" "Hum?" "What time is it?" He could hear her checking her watch. "It is about 12:45." Ludwig shot up.

"Verdammt! If we leave right now we will still be late." The Japanese girl stood up and began stuffing all of the picnic stuff back in the basket.

"I will go find Feli." He stated and began to jog towards where she had chased the butterfly. He called out for her. "Feliciana! It's time to go!" He heard a rustle and then a singing. Italian opera.

"Ludwig! I found the butterfly!" She spoke the truth, because there in her hair, like a clip, was the butterfly. It sat still until, fluttering up to perch on her unruly curl, before fluttering away.

"It was so pretty!" Ludwig nodded.

"Am I pretty?" She turned to the blonde, eyes full of hope. His blush began to bloom once more, before he choked out an answer.  
"Yes Feliciana."

She smiled and began skipping away while humming a light toon. He stood there a moment before following. What the hell was that?

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Madeline had thought she had seen some pretty sad things in her time, but this took the cake. It was night time. Everyone was in their bunk, except, Feliciana who was chattering at Elizaveta in her bunk and Chun-Yan, who she had not seen since lunch. Madeline was personally reading a few chapters of Pride & Prejudice, Arthur had lent it to her. Sad, it's probably the only book of his, that is still standing… She mulled this thought over in her head. Sad… She decided.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing Chun-Yan. A very beat-up limping Chun-Yan. She limped to her bed and sat down, appearing to catch her breath and take a drink of water, before noticing all eyes were on her, but one pair was especially hard. Sakura crawled off of her bed. "Jie Jie, what happened?" Her voice devoid of emotion. "I set things right, and sent a bastard to jail." Sakura growled, a very strange thing for the usually very calm girl. Madeline set her book down and leaned back to watch.

"CHUN-YAN! We can take care of ourselves! WE CAN FIGHT OUR OWN BATTLES!"

Chun-Yan looked like she was going to explode. "HE. WAS. RAPING. HER."

Sakura was taken aback. "W-what do you m-mean?"

Chun-Yan sighed and began to undo the complicated buttons on her shirt. "Exactly what I said. There are somethings you need a little bit of help solving. He was abusing her. No one abuses my family and especially not her." Sakura was silent as she climbed down from her bed and helped Chun-Yan out of her shirt.

Madeline watched curiosity piqued.

She expected the Chinese girls skin to be perfect, because it was always covered. It was the opposite, even though she only revealed her back, it was littered with scars. Small ones, huge ones, that were still puckered, one that started at her shoulder and went to her lower back, Sakura traced that one. There was one that obviously went around her neck, as though she had been choked, almost every inch was covered with them. Sakura ducked into the little alcove her bed made over Chun-Yan's and pulled out a first aid kit. Examining the new cuts on her back, Madeline saw tears in the younger's eyes. Chun-Yan stood up and turned to her, showing the world her chest and stomach, both of which were also completely covered in scars.

She hugged the Japanese girl. "Don't cry… I've had worse and you know it… I don't need stitches this time…" The Japanese just cried harder and Chun-Yan hugged her. "Would it help if I told you what happened?" The girl rubbed her eyes and nodded.

Chun-Yan turned to the rest of the room. "Well don't even pretend, come and sit down, you can join story time too aru." Madeline jumped off her bed and leaned against Feliciana's bed, next to said Italian. "Two weeks ago, when Mei came late to stargazing, I noticed she had bruises and cuts, not natural ones, knife ones. I snuck out and followed her to her "Boyfriend's" house and waited until they left and then set up cameras. I watched for a few days and saw things that should have never been done." Her eyes hardened. "Tonight I dressed up like Mei, and went to his house. He let me in. He didn't even notice the difference." Her eyes looked murderous. "Then, when I had just got there he tried to touch me." She looked like she was about to throw up. "So I took off the disguise and kicked his ass, he didn't go down without a fight, also he had a knife." She gestured to the cuts on her face.

"Then I tied him up, left a video of the stuff he did and called the cops." She suddenly looked tired.

"I am going to go now… Maybe have Amelia help me out…" She grabbed a loose t-shirt, that showed off the scars on her arms, grabbed the first aid kit and walked out.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

Ivan knew it was wrong, but he had followed her. To her cabin from the cab that dropped her off. Chun-Yan seemed off when they were working together and he was determined to find out why. When he saw her emirge from the cabin, he followed her. He watched as she dashed silently towards the Dining hall. He followed her in. She slipped into the girl's bathroom and that's where he stopped. He listened to running water and a small groan, that's when he knocked on the door.

"Chun-Yan, can I be doing the coming in?" He asked silently cursing his broken english.

"WHAT THE HELL IVA… Well I guess, there is no one else in here with me aru…"

Ivan slowly pushed the door open. There was Chun-Yan looking into a mirror, face scraped up, wearing an oversized t-shirt and just staring. As Ivan approached, he noticed the scars that covered her arms, the thick scar around her neck and that the t-shirt was one of his. She finally turned to him, revealing the blood on her face.

"Sit down, We will fix this and then you will explain da?" He said picking her up and setting her on the counter.

He opened the first aid kit he had noticed next to her and began cleaning up her face. "I'm sorry I got blood on your shirt aru… I was leaving quickly and it was the loosest thing I could find, you left it at the waterfront a few days ago, I was going to give it back…" He nodded and continued cleaning.

"You may need stitches…" Ivan said upon uncovering the cut.

"No I won't it's not as deep as it looks."

He shrugged. "Do you have any more cuts? New ones?"

She sighed. "Yes… Give me a second aru." she pulled off the shirt she stole from Ivan and turned around.

Ivan blushed at the sight of her in just a sports bra, but when he saw her back, he paled. It was like a gruesome masterpiece, scars decorating more scars, covered by blood and two fresh, soon to be scars. She saw his face in the mirror and cringed.

"Do you want to hear the story as you clean up?"

"Da."

She took a deep breath and began. "I will start at the beginning. It all started with a car crash. My parents died, and no one would take me, I refused to go into child services, so I lived in my mansion all alone, until one stormy night when I saw a girl my age crying and running down the street, I invited her in for tea, and she told me a story of child neglect, because she was a girl. I offered her a place to stay, and that is how Sakura came to be my sister. Next, I found a girl a few years younger being beat by a gang of high schoolers, I beat them back and offered a hand, that is how Nam became my sibling. I found a boy around Nam's age diving for food in some dumpsters, and I offered him a home, and that is how Thai came to live with me. I found a boy with a horrible fever and I took him home, he stayed and that's how Im-Soo became my sibling. I met a girl at school whose father was a drunk and abused her. So she came with and that's how Mei became my sister. Lastly was the twins, they were left at their private school, parents never to return and I offered them a loving home. They took it. My house had three rules. 1.) Don't get hurt… Hospitals require parent signatures. 2.) Don't get in trouble at school, that requires parent meetings. 3.) Everyone is Welcome." Ivan watched as her eyelids fluttered. "I will always fight to protect my family. Just as I did tonight."

She whipped around and jumped off the counter before she opened her eyes. "They are the only thing I have."

Ivan stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug. He could feel her apprehension, but slowly she relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist. They stayed that way for a while. He tracing scars and rubbing new bandages and her just leaning into the touch. He pushed back first. "Even the warriors need to be protected…"

He kissed her head and she blushed. "You don't have to…"

He cut her off.

"I choose to. Now it is late and we can discuss this more in the morning." He grabbed her hand and the First aid kit and together they disappeared into the night.

 _Translations:_

 _La vendetta è dolce - A Sweet Revenge_

 _Verdammt - Damnit!_


	7. In Which a Trip Goes Wrong

**A/N: Again sorry for the lateness, but this is one of my personal favorite chapters~**

Francis always looked forward to this weekend. It was the councillor trip, it usually lasted from June 30th to July 3rd. It was fun… Councillors got to be themselves, they got to fight, swear and just be not councillors. It made him happy.

Right now he was sitting on his bed, debating on bringing his book or not. He leaned down and waited for Arthur to return from his "area". The brit ducked out and sat on his bed.

"Hey Arthur…" The person in question looked up in surprise. "Should I bring my book or not?" Arthur's face contorted in anger.

"Why should I care? Also if you don't know, think of it as an extra pound to carry." The Frenchman nodded and tossed it aside.

"What are you bringing Sourcils?"

The Brit growled at the use of that particular nickname. "That, is none of your concern."

Francis smiled and swung down. "Oh and why would that be?" He asked gracefully sitting on Arthur's newly mended quilt.

"Because you are not my Mummy and because, it is none of your business."

Arthur sat on the floor and leaned against the bed and took the corner of the quilt in his hand, rubbing it ceaselessly. He was nervous and Francis could tell. "Arthur, you're supposed to have fun on this trip, not worry about what happened."

Arthur whipped to look at the Frenchman's face. "I am not nervous!"

Francis chuckled. "Say that to the hole you are worrying into your quilt."

Arthur looked down at his hand and dropped immediately. "Whatever Frog."

Francis laughed and laid down on the Brit's bed, with his hands behind his head. "Arthur, what were you in charge of?"

The Englishman looked downcast. "They said I was a light weight, so I am just in charge of the sleeping bags on the hikes."

Francis tried to cover his laugh with a yawn. "Well Sir Laughsalot, what are you in charge of?"

Francis wiggled in the bed. "Food and pans."

Arthur sighed. "I'm upset at you!"

The frenchman quirked a brow. "Why?"

Arthur was aghast.

"Why? WHY? Well let me show you…" He pulled out his phone and opened a page.

"Look." Francis scanned the phone, it was a page, he read through the Authors note.

When he discovered it, he began to snicker. "Our ship name is FrogKing…" The snickers became laughter and he began to laugh so hard he cried.

Arthur's temper steadily rose as well. "Its not funny! You don't even want to know about the Fanart and Memes I found!"

Francis laughed harder. "Oh Cher! You're fans are so funny and so quick! I will need a copy of that Fanfic later!" He smirked, causing Arthur to recoil.

"You are nasty!" The brit managed to squeak out, through his embarrassment.

Francis set his head on top of the other Europeans, "Oh I know you love it… Don't think I haven't read your Merthur and Johnlock fics…"

This made him blush even harder. "How did you even find that?"

Francis smiled. "You, cher, are so predictable," Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Francis continued. "Your name is Strength_Courage_Magic, and your writing, is unique."

Arthur sighed in defeat, before realizing something. "Why were you reading that fanfiction? Were you stalking me?"

Francis shook his head disapprovingly. "You think I don't watch Sherlock? That's like saying I don't have a Dash!"

Francis then stood up and stretched, before climbing back onto his bunk.

"So no on the book…"

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To say that Heracles didn't like hiking, was an understatement. He despised it. He loathed it. He abhorred it. Especially when the trails were rough. That meant that today was hell for him.

Heracles sighed, as he carried a pack on his shoulders, it was hot and heavy. It was like his world was covered by a heavy gray cloud, all that he could see was the root covered ground. A warm hand was placed on the small of his back.

"Heracles-san?"

He turned to the girl. "Yes Sakura?" She looked at him with worry.

"I heard there may be a storm tonight."

He chuckled. "Mary wouldn't have let us go if it were to storm…" Sakura visibly relaxed.

"How long do you think until we get there?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I heard from Alfred-san that it could be another hour."

The grecian groaned and jumped up his pack. "Do you know where we are going?"

She shook her head. "Arthur-san got to pick the site this year."

Heracles nodded and stumbled over a root. Sakura helped him right himself. They hiked in silence for a while, before they heard a crash. Heracles looked around, all of the other hikers were still standing and no one was on the ground. He looked up to the sky, across the lake not to far ahead, was an impending wall of doom. Huge cumulonimbus clouds soared to great heights, gorgeous and fluffy, but that was where the beauty stopped. Underneath them gray rain pelted the ground and lightning slashed across the sky, like a clean blade, thunder crashed just a few seconds after the lightning was seen. Everyone had stopped and gathered together.

"How far is it back?" Arthur asked.

"Almost three hours." Alfred said looking at his watch. There was a quiet, as they contemplated their situation, and listening to the thunder.

Heracles spoke up. "I say we go back, I do not want to be stuck in that."

There was a genral nod of agreement. Alfred took control. "Arthur, you lead, everyone else fall in line, I will bring up the back."

Heracles lined up after Francis and Arthur Sakura hiked next to him in the line. The hike back was quiet, as they scrambled up rocks and out of ditches. It had been an hour since they had made the decision to go back Sakura was putting him even further on edge. She kept looking at the sky and pushing her hair behind her ears as the storm's wind whipped it across her face. Heracles slipped his hand into hers. As soon as she felt it she pushed and stumbled. He squeezed her hand as the storm hit.

The rain pelted down on their backs and soaked through their clothes. Sakura clung to Heracles hand as though it was her lifeline, as they stumbled along the path, tripping on all of the rocks and roots along the way. Heracles stopped to take a breath, looking up and letting the rain pour down his face. A bolt of lightning hit a tree nearby and he tugged Sakura forward. The cloud seemed to never end, it stretched out in every direction, it was like the world was ending. The path grew muddy, causing people to slide. Thunder crashed all around and the world shook. A cry came from behind him. Sakura looked at him and stopped, until she heard Alfred shout above the wind. "It's fine! Keep moving! We'll catch up!" Heracles tugged the Japenese girl along once more.  
The rain continued to pour down, it was almost impossible to see through the curtains of rain. Heracles decided he had never been more wet in his life. Lightning struck again and he heard a moan as a tree fell. The thunder made his ears ring. Eventually, he gave up trying to see where they were going. He tightened his grip on Sakura's hand, closed his eyes and ran.

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When Madeline awoke she was warm and dry. She could hear the thunder outside and rain beating down on the roof. She curled up tighter in her sleeping bag and and enjoyed the heat that came from the fire near by…. _WAIT FIRE?_ Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. She was not in her house, she was not in her cabin, she was not in her sleeping bag, she was not even in her own clothes. Instead, she was inside a cave, inside a blue mummy bag and wearing only a plaid shirt and underwear. The cave itself was small and strewn with items, two backpacks, a large pile of semi dry sticks and logs and a small fire ring. A fire was lit inside and she notice it was set on an edge that hung out of the shelter, close enough for warmth, but far away enough so that the smoke wouldn't choke her. The entrance of the cave was covered by huge fallen trees, something had moved there. The wind screamed outside and she shivered. A shadow crossed the wall and she grabbed the thing closest to her, which happened to be a can of beans and prepared for attack. Alfred popped up out of the small opening and had to duck quickly to avoid the can.

"Woah now… Let's not waste good food. … I just finished building the outside. It was true, he looked soaked the bone as he picked up the can of beans.

"Sorry eh. You just surprised me…" She looked anywhere but him, suddenly embarrassed to be semi nude. He nodded. "I could see waking up in a cave and having someone pop out of nowhere, be surprising." He climbed all the way into the cave, only to grab a waterproof bag.

"Hey would it be okay, if I just wore swim trunks and shirt? I kind of don't want to get anything else wet." She just shrugged and he disappeared down into the little opening once more.

Five minutes later the lanky teen was feeding the fire as Madeline was laying down, trying to comprehend her life. He chuckled at her facial expressions. "So I bet you are wondering why we are here and not in your cabin, back at camp." She sat up suddenly and nodded. "Well while we were hiking a tree was hit by lightning and that tree hit you knocking you out and spraining your ankle. I am strong, but not that strong, I couldn't carry you all the way home." He looked at the ground. "I carried you hear and started the fire. I then had to…" He began to blush like an idiot.

Madeline sighed. "You undressed me in all except my underwear and put me in one of your plaid shirts."

He looked up blush burning across his cheeks and nodded. "I had to! I couldn't have you with a cold and a fucked up ankle!" He took a breath to relax himself. "I then built the outdoor shelter and here we are now." He looked at her, embarrassment, finally reseeding.

He continued to stare before turning to the bags abruptly. "What do you want for dinner? We have soup and beans, or beans and soup. What are you feeling?" He looked back up at her expectantly, obviously trying not to smirk at his genius.

Madeline rolled her eyes. "Soup and Beans please." There was silence as Alfred cooked dinner.

It stayed that way until finally Alfred cracked over a Chicken Noodle soup. "Why did you come this summer?" She just stared at him incredulously, before concentrating very hard on her soup. Alfred also stared down at his soup. "I'm sorry, It's none of my business, I can change the subject if you want…" Madeline looked up and watched him try to avoid her invisible glare. Eventually, he peeked up only to be met with an arched eyebrow.

"Uh, What are you doing?" He now sat up at her and looked her straight in the face.

"Nothing…" She nodded as though that is what she wanted. "Let me get out of this god forsaken sleeping bag and I will tell you a story over dinner."

She very gently gripped the zipper and unzipped the bag. Gingerly she lifted her swollen and bandaged ankle, setting it gently on the cool cave floor, before bringing her other leg to rest next to it and letting the cool seep into her too hot pores. She closed her eyes and brought her soup up to her nose and took a deep breath. It was like a heavy blanket on her senses, it felt better than home. One violet eye snapped open, to see the eager puppy dog face of Alfred looking at her, like she was god. She chuckled, closed her eye and began.

"It all started a long time ago, My Dad is a very prominent rancher from Alberta and my Mum is a Fashion queen from Quebec. They met at a party in college in University of Ottawa. They fell in love. We mostly lived on Dad's ranch, because it needed the most work. Mum would frequently go away on trips, leaving just me, my dad and all the cattle. It was hard, but we made it work. That was until, my Dad picked up a people magazine and saw the picture on the front cover. It was Mum, laughing, as a tall, well sculpted man kissed her cheek. The title read: Fashion's Queen, Finally found her King!" She felt tears drip down her cheeks, but she continued. "He was devastated, and then angry. He flew to Montreal and they got in a huge fight, before they filed for legal divorce and she left, Dad was heart broken. He stopped seeing anything other than his work, I was just a reminder of mum, I could see his heart break every time he looked at me. Even though I knew he loved me, I couldn't stand it. I heard about this camp from my cousin, so I bought a plane ticket and left."

Silence echoed between the two.

When she did look up, she saw Alfred, real Alfred and no shock at all. He looked at her as he spoke. "I understand perfectly." She stared back and he continued. "When I was a little kid, I was really pudgey. Like really pudge. It was okay as a kid, but when I got to College, shit hit the fan. I got bullied a ton and it hurt, it really did. Over time, I decided if I didn't eat as much, I would loose weight. It ended up that I never ate anything and I slowly became anorexic."

He paused for a moment looking down, before meeting her eyes and continuing.

"My Dad found out. He beat me, screamed at me, telling me toughen up, because Anorexia is a disease for middle school girls. That night, he packed up all of his stuff, and left, leaving a note that said, he couldn't bare to live with a boy that had a little girl's disease or the woman that produced such a boy." Madeline watched the pain in his eyes grow. "After that, he took all of Mom's money, claiming that it was his. We had to move and I only squeaked through college bills. He only ever came back once, and that was to show off his new yoga instructor wife, named Sugar, spelled S-H-U-G-A-R. Dash was what saved us." He sighed and looked deeper into her eyes. "So, I understand perfectly."

There was silence.

It was eventually broken by the American. "You just have to remember, that the parent, who stuck by you is the only one that deserves any of your feelings." She nodded. "Also the fact that deep inside, your dad, I loves you."

Madeline's jaw dropped and she started laughed. Alfred looked at her and then reviewed his sentence in his head, before blushing. "God damn, Freudian slip…."

She laughed harder.

"It's not funny!" He pouted, before adding, "Even if it's true…" That made her laugh even harder. It was a long time, until she finally stopped to breath and wipe the tears from her eyes. "Oh you are so precious…." Alfred pouted.

"It's about 10:00, would you like to go to bed?" He asked and gracefully avoided bring the subject back up. Madeline thought about it for about, 4 seconds.  
"Yes…" She flipped over and tried to ignore the sounds of Alfred's shuffling around. It became impossible when her unzipped her sleeping bag. She was instantly on her guard. "Just what do you think you are doing?" He laughed.

"There is only one sleeping bag and it WILL drop to at least 40 degrees tonight and it's wet out. So move over Ice Queen, you will be sharing."

He slipped in next to her, his cold skin burning her. She hissed and he chuckled. Alfred laid his head on the tiny pillow next to her. She zipped up the sleeping bag and Alfred turned out the lamp. He wiggled down farther in the mummy bag and buried his face in her hair. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to his chest, so that they would both be comfortable.

He took a deep breath. "I guess there is no point in denying it. I love you… Good - Night."

Silence reigned as the rain beat down on the world outside.

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When Alfred woke up he was warm. It was nice, he heard the wind howling outside, but the dark cave was sleepy with the warm person sleeping next to him. He pulled her closer and she sighed and turned over in her sleep. She looked peaceful, the corners of her mouth tugged into a slight smile. He set his head on to of hers and stared into the the darkness, before drifting back to sleep.

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Madeline woke up to the sound of thunder and she jumped. It crashed, shaking the cave and startling the girl awake. She sat up, only when fulling sitting up, noticing the arms around her waist. They pulled her back down, lips brushed against her ear. "Wassup?"

"Nothing." Was all she said before settling back into his arms and falling back to sleep.

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Alfred was happy, though it was stormy and gray out, it was now 5:30, and he didn't have to be up to do chores. It was cold outside, the rain beat against the pine trees. He sighed and buried his face in Madeline's hair. She yawned, stretching her arms and sighing happily at the contact with the cold.

"Ice Queen…" She chuckled and he smiled sleepily. She sighed and laid back down. Alfred was curled up around her, his lips tickled her ear.

"Ready to get up?" She shook her head and he hummed… Before slipping out of the bag himself.

She looked at him in disgust. "You were my source of heat!" This time he laughed.

"Sorry, ADHD, couldn't sit there anymore." She scowled, but unzipped the bag and gently moved her legs out of the bag.  
"So beans for breakfast?" She asked looking at the other teen.

He smiled his thousand watt smile. "No actually… Last night I set out a pot, to catch fresh water, and I have oatmeal, so that's for breakfast."

She nodded, Alfred slipped out of the pine trees and into the storm.

Twenty minutes later, she sat sated, against the wall. Alfred, was dealing out cards for crazy eights. He seemed to realize something.

"Hey, While I was outside I noticed it was letting up, so we may be able to leave today…" She smiled, internally she sighed, strangely, she was enjoying her time with the awkward American.

"We will have to leave stuff here, I can only carry so much…" Her eyes flew to his face.

"I can carry stuff too!" She huffed.

"On that ankle, I think not, Madeline." Again he realized something.  
"I've been wondering, Can I call you Maddie?" Madeline looked at him curiously.

"Only if I can call you Al." He stuck out his hand.

"Deal." She shook it.

"Deal." He smiled again, lighting up the cave as he put away his cards.

"Then it's time to consolidate!" He twirled his finger in the air and began to unpack.

Three hours later, Alfred was carrying her. He slid down the small cliff and held her in his arms.

"I'll set you down on a rock outside and then grab the stuff." He murmured slipping out of the pine tree shelter. Madeline blinked, waiting for her pupils to dilate, before looking up into the drizzly sky. Alfred set her down on a large granite rock.

"BRB." he said slipping back into their shelter, appearing moments later with a large backpack on.

"Okay, Ready to roll?" He asked looking at her. She nodded, using the stick he had lead against the rock for her, pushed herself up and stumbled. Alfred grabbed her hand and laughed.

She pouted. "Bitch."

He laughed harder and they began on their way down the twisty, rooty, rocky path. For the most part it was silent. They walked, well one walked, one limped, leaning on the other, listening to the sounds of nature, only every once in awhile making light conversation. They stopped and had cold soup for lunch, then continued on. Silence for the rest of the journey, until they saw the mess hall.

Madeline turned to Alfred, who was already looking at her. "I just wanted to ask…" He was cut off by her lips. He kissed her back. They only broke the kiss for the need of air.

"I'll take that as a yes…" She smiled and punched his arm.

"Don't get too cocky…."

He laughed and grabbed her hand. "Whatever Ice Queen." He kissed her on the nose, just as they were spotted.

 **The last POV is so long, because its a shared Alfred and Madeline one. I do love the name Maddie.**

 _Translations:_

 _Sourcils - Eyebrows (One of my favorite England nicknames)_

 _Cher - Dear_


	8. In Which Rain Makes the World Different

**A/N: How is life? Please review!**

They had stumbled into camp, just as the downpour began. Elizaveta ran towards the dining hall, dragging Gilbert behind her. Lightning crashed and thunder shook the ground as they ran across the lawn towards the huge log building. They tumbled through the doors in one sopping pile, landing at Mary's feet. The Irish Woman looked at them for a second, before bending and helping Elizaveta up. She brushed herself off, just as Amelia appeared next to her, scanning the faces on in the pile.

"Where is my son?" That caught her and Mary's attention. They searched through the faces not seeing two very important ones.

"Where is Madeline?" She asked.

A gasp came from the pile. Sakura stood up amidst the chaos. "As we were hiking, I heard a scream, but Alfred told us to continue. It was raining very hard, so we continued and that was the last I heard of them." She looked at the ground in shame. Elizaveta pulled her into a big hug and buried her face in her hair.

"It's okay… it's not your fault." She whispered. Elizaveta felt tears hit her already wet clothes and she hugged Sakura tighter.

"Let's get dried up and we can wait for…" She was cut off by Amelia rushing towards the door.

"I am going to find him, He is all I have!" Arthur grabbed her arm and she collapsed, sobbing. "He is all I have…"

Arthur collapsed beside her and pulled her into the a hug, running his hands through her hair. "I know, I know…." He whispered as he stared at the glass door watching the rain pour down. Elizaveta watched as well, but her resolve tightened.

"Guys! Is lying around all wet doing anything?" All eyes were on her.

"Let's get dressed, secure our campers, set something fun up here in the dining hall. We can file a missing person's report, but they won't be able to go out in this storm either. Alfred is capable of helping himself and Madeline, hurt or not."

There were nods and people stood up. Gilbert drifted over to her, as Sakura dried her tears, grabbed clean clothes, a towel and soap and headed toward the showers.

He laid an arm across her shoulders. She leaned against him. He was warm… Hot even. She looked up at him, his eyes were red rimmed, sweat/water dripped down his face, his skin was waxy and he shivered. "God damn it Gilbert! You're sick! Let's get you dry and to bed." He nodded dumbly and she pulled him along. Elizaveta sat him down in a bean bag and rushed back to the pile to grab some dry clothes. "Come now… Don't fall asleep yet." She peeled off his wet layers and dressed him quickly. He was fading. She ran to her bag and grabbed out a bottle of Tylenol, a blanket and water. She shook him awake and forced the medicine down the "Prussian's" throat. Covering him with the blanket, she kissed his head and headed into the dining hall. It was Chaos. Ludwig was trying his hardest to order it but it wasn't working. She thought of a quick solution.

"HEY BURRITO!"

There was an instant response. "HEY HEY HEY BURRITO!"

Elizaveta smiled. "Now that I have your attention, I would like to announce the afternoon's activities, since it is clear that there will be no outside activities. First, we are going to move all the tables to the side and we are going to play some games, then later we are going to transform this into a theater. So, finish up with lunch and we'll get started." She turned to other councillors as the noise consumed the Mess once more. They all nodded in agreement, It was decided.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Feliciana was scared. Alfred and Madeline were gone. She stood in the corner as Ludwig, Antonio and Ivan helped (See, did it) the campers move the tables. She closed her eyes and let her head rest against the wall sighing heavily.

"Hey Feli? A small hand tugged at her skirt. she opened her eyes and kneeled down.

"Ve~ What is it Bella?" She asked the little girl.

"Will Alfred be coming back?" Tears breached the younger's eyes. Feliciana hugged her.

"Of course! He always does, doesn't he?" She asked and the girl nodded. Feliciana stood up and grabbed her hand.

"Let's get my unit and we can play my favorite game." They skipped over to a large clump, that was Unit 9.

"Hey guys do you want to play a game with me and…."

She leaned down to the little girl. "Uh…. Can you tell me your name?"

The girl nodded."My name is Olivia." Feli laughed.

"What a pretty name!" She turned back to her campers. "Do you guys want to play a game with me and Olivia?"

There was a genral murmur of agreement and Feliciana plopped down. "We are going to play my favorite game…. Mafia!"  
There was a few confused faces, but over all, there was sadistic smiles. "Go gather some others too, it makes it more fun."

Pretty soon Feliciana was sitting at the center of a huge circle. She stood up and lead Maggie over to Ludwig.

"You are going to sit by my friend while I explain." Ludwig blushed as the little girl sat in his lap and made herself comfortable. She then walked out the center of the circle once more.

"Ciao~ We are going to play my favorite game. Sorella can you help me?" Lovina drifted towards the center. "We are going to play Mafia!" The two Italians stood back to back, finger guns at the ready.

"Now raise your hands if you know how to play." All children over the age of 7 raised their hands. "Ve~ Then let's jump right in! Everyone close your eyes!" She whipped to Lovina. "What do you want to pick?" She whispered, loudly.

"Be quiet Idiota! I want to pick the Mafia." Feliciana nodded and began to skip around the circle.

Once the two Italians were back in the center, Feliciana was the first to speak. "Mafia awaken." Instantly Sammy, Scott and Olivia looked at her expectantly.

"Now you must choose who shall have an unfortunate "accident" tonight." They all pointed to different people but eventually decided on Ludwig. "Go to sleep, Doctors awaken."

Three more children woke up and it was eventually decided that Addy would be saved. "Good now go to sleep." She scanned the circle for peaking eyes, when she decided it was safe, she called out. "Detectives, Who is guilty?" The three older campers had a silent staring conversation, before deciding on on Peirce.

"Okay go to sleep~" She waited a single second before singing the wake up song. Once everyone had rubbed their eyes, Feliciana began.

"Last night, Ludwig…" She was cut off by Elizaveta who whispered breezily in her ear.

"I will tell this story."

Feliciana nodded dumbly.

"Last night, Ludwig was on his way home from a great day at the archery range with Feliciana and Sakura. On his way back to Tamaray, he noticed a patch of flowers that reminded him of Feliciana, so he picked them. Little did he know, that they were covered in poison and he died."

By the time Elizaveta's monologue had ended, so much blood had rushed to Ludwig's face that it was a miracle he didn't die of embarrassment. Feliciana laughed heartily and kissed him on the cheek.

It was hard to believe that he didn't explode.

The whole room lit up with laughter, and Sakura patted the German on the back while he unconsciously tried to disappear.

Feliciana plopped down next to him and just let Elizaveta take over narrator. She leaned against his shoulder. Her breath tickled his ear as she spoke.

"I want to tell you something later. Meet me at 10:00 at the Widow's Tree."

She smiled.

 _I wonder how this night will go..._

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Chun-Yan was really not looking forward to movie time. It was the first time since Chun-Yan's "Run-in" with Mei's Boyfriend, that she really had time to talk to the girl. Mei really seemed happier now that Jackson didn't come around and that made Chun-Yan think that Ivan's Stitches were worth it. (They weren't really needed but Ivan wanted to be sure.) They had transformed the Mess Hall into a kick ass movie theater. Alfred and Arthur went to the attic and pulled the sail to a viking longship they had built one year, in honor of the Scandinavian Exchange Councillors that had come. It was perfectly white and took up at least half a wall. Mary helped them bring down beanbags, pillows, and mattresses as well. So, in the end, it just looked like a giant cuddle pile. The end vote had decided that The Parent Trap was what was to be watched. The councillors finally sat down in the back, (all with the exception of Elizaveta, as she went to take care of Gilbert) just as the movie began. Chun-Yan sat in between Ivan and Sakura. She sighed heavily. Sakura looked at her, while Ivan just tugged her closer and rested his head on hers. "I should probably tell Mei."

Sakura, who had turned back to the movie, whipped her head to look at her older sister.

"Why?"

Chun-Yan shrugged, "Because she has the right to know." She pushed Ivan off and stood up. Picking her way through the crowd, she finally stumbled upon her younger siblings who were playing cards by flashlight. She sat down next to them. Thai looked up and smiled.

"Do you want to play, the game just ended ana~" She shook her head, but smiled.

"I need to talk to Mei for a moment." She reached out and grabbed the moon eyed asian, before smiling once more and pulling the girl away. "I have something to tell you." Chun-Yan murmured grabbing her hand and pulling her into a closet.

Mei was instantly on her guard. "What's the matter?" She paled just looking at her older sister's face.

"I need to talk to you about Jackson." Chun-yan whispered. Mei was instantly on her guard.

"Nothing is wrong with us! We are getting along just fine! Keep your nose out of my love life!" This is when Chun-Yan lost her cool.

"HOW IS GETTING RAPED, CUT AND BRUISED GETTING ALONG FINE?" She burst out, panting slightly.

Mei covered her mouth with tears in her eyes. "How did you…"

Chun-Yan grabbed the hand away from her mouth. "You think I wouldn't notice if one of my babies was hurt? What kind of sibling would I be if I couldn't notice when you were in pain?" Chun-yan pulled the girl into her arms. Mei cried. "I.. sjdlffajljflja" She blubbered. Chun-Yan carded her hands through the younger's hair and hugged her tighter.

"I made sure that bu yao lian bastard will he locked up for good, he will never harm you again." The smaller asian sobbed harder and they sank to the floor.

They stayed that way for a long time until Chun-Yan took her face in her hands and looked deep into her brown eyes. "Promise me," She looked down for just a second. "Promise me, that you will always tell me when something like that happens, always." She nodded, and Chun-Yan hugged her tight once more.

For about one second.

"Wait did he hurt you?" She turned to the chinese girl, rage in her eyes. This time it was Chun-Yan's turn to look down.

"He did, didn't he!" She stood up, anger leaking from her pores. She slammed open the door, only to walk angrily into a human wall.

Ivan looked down at the angry teenager. "What is the meaning of this?"

Mei glared at him. "I am going to kill the man that hurt my sister."

Ivan laughed. "There is no need to do that, your sister has already put him away. I will deal with your sister, you go watch the movie." She looked at him curiously and then was very cautious. "Touch her the wrong way and I will end you." She tried to glare holes in the Russian's head before creeping out of the room. Ivan chuckled and sat down on the ground next to Chun-Yan and pulled her into his lap.

She looked up at him and smiled lightly. "I think that went better than expected." He laughed heartily. She smiled.

Ivan leaned down and kissed her on the head. She looked at him with wide eyes and felt the rumble of her laughter. He kissed her on the lips. This time she was really surprised. Pulling away quickly, she stared into his hurt violet eyes. "No? Well…" She connected their lips. "No just surprised." He smiled against her lips.

 _Well I guess this is happening now…._

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It was as though Gilbert was high. Everything was spinning in and out of his consciousness. Colours, sounds, smells, temperatures, whirred past his eyes to fast to comprehend. Sleeping was the painless release. The last thing he saw above him before was long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes.

When he did finally awake, he was lying in a pool of blood. The red was slowly starting to stream away, like a crimson wave across an icecap. He opened his mouth and all that came out was a sigh. This time just before he blacked out, he saw long brown hair, but this time, there green eyes widened in horror, the person fell to his side and laid a hand on his too cold skin. "Gilbert…" She whispered before screaming. He fell away to it ringing in his ears.

When he awoke he was lying in a white room with cords hanging from him. He tried to sit up, but was immediately restrained by a heavy hand.

"Rest, you lost a lot of blood and I had to stitch you up..."

Gilbert blinked sleepily up at Amelia's face. She smiled and gently stroked his hair. "We are still at camp, in the tiny hospital, Alfred helped fund. He also sewed you up. It appears as though when you were passed out, someone carved a word into you." Gilbert looked at her confused and opened his mouth, and all that came out was a squawking sound. Amelia chuckled, "Alfred said you might not be able to talk for a few days." The look on his face made her laugh harder. "He said you would be horrified, I think the look on your face is clue enough. I owe Madeline 5 bucks." She looked off into space for a moment, clearly planning out the scene. Gilbert waved his hand to get her attention.

She snapped back to reality. "Oh of course." She gently pulled back the blanket and covering from his chest. Across it, now spelled in neat black stitches was the word _Rache_. She looked at him concerned when she saw his face go white.

"Does it mean anything to you?" Gilbert opened his mouth, but someone beat him to it.

"Rache, it means revenge." A gruff voice said, there in the doorway was Ludwig.

Gilbert instantly brightened and motioned for his younger brother to come. Ludwig did as told. He sat down next to his brother on the bed.

"Do you know anyone who would want to do this to you?" Again Gilbert opened his mouth, but was cut off.

"I have had my suspicions, I believe that it may be someone in Unit 10. " Elizaveta said almost jogging over. "There are a few campers that have been a little bit crazy in the last years and by crazy I mean actually crazy. There was a girl last year, who said she would kill for me. I think Layla was her name."

Amelia looked at the Hungarian in concern. "Why did you not tell Mary?"

She shrugged. "I thought she was joking, but obviously she was not." Ludwig's eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"We cannot rule out all other possibilities quite yet…" The two women nodded and they all looked at Gilbert. He stared at his brother until he understood. "This must end." Nods. "No more attacks." More nods. "Gilbert has to pee."

"What?"

"He has to pee."

The Prussian nodded his head vehemently. Amelia laughed. "Over there, just make sure to take your pet with you." She gestured to the IV stand.

With the help of his brother he was able to limp his way over to bathroom. It was a quick pee and he was just carried back to bed. Ludwig took one last long look at his brother before sighing and ducking out the door. Amelia followed close behind, leaving Elizaveta and Gilbert alone. She laid down next to him. He buried his face in her hair. He sighed. She smiled softly.

"We'll find them." Gilbert smiled softly and nodded, his eyes fluttering. She smiled, kissed him on the forehead and slipped out of bed, leaving her love to sleep.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Francis felt like shit, actual shit. He had smiled his way through the day and made sure his campers were all right, before checking out and heading to Tamaray. Lucky for him it was empty. He stripped off his clothes and pulled on some pajamas, before crawling up into his bunk. Francis, who was usually smiling and happy, let tears leak down his face. He slipped into his sleeping bag and curled into a fetal position. _My best friends are getting attacked… Alfred, the glue to this place is gone…. Madeline is with him… Arthur still didn't love him..._ With that last thought, he closed his eyes and let the world crash down around him. This is when Arthur entered the scene.

He heard Francis make a small noise and it piqued his interest. Creeping over quietly, he stood on his bed and looked at Francis between the small beams that provided protection. Francis' face was turned away, but he saw from the way the frenchman's body rocked every once in awhile, he was sobbing, silently. Arthur's face softened. Another round of sobs rocked the teen's body as Arthur tentatively stuck a hand out to stroke his hair. The golden locks were soft against his fingers as he carded through the others hair.

Francis tensed at feeling the fingers in his hair, but eventually went slack as someone began to hum, while going through his hair. Then the humming stopped and a voice replaced it.

"Francis… Come down, I have a surprise for you." That was when the frenchman stopped crying.

Arthur looked nervously at the bundle of blankets, that was until it sat up, revealing a disheveled frenchman. "This better be good, Arthur, you made me end my pity party early." Arthur smirked at that. "I believe that this will be worth it for you, but if it is going to happen you are going to need to get off your bed and give me five minutes."

Francis sighed. "You better not be tricking me…" Arthur laughed.

"You are just going to have to trust me." He stuck out his hand to help the other teen down.

Five minutes later, Francis was glad he ended his pity party early. As soon as he had gotten down, Arthur had tucked in all off Francis' blankets on the guard side and had flipped them over the tiny fence, creating a cave of sorts. This had made the frenchman smile. _Just like when we were kids…._ Arthur caught the reminiscent smile and shot a grin of his own. He flew around, with an uncharacteristic grace. He opened up his dictionary and flipped the wifi on, grabbed his computer, all of their pillows and disappeared behind the curtain. A few moments later, Francis heard a muffled voice from within. "Come on in Francis!" Francis pushed back the curtain and gasped.

The tiny area with gently lit up with Fairy lights and the end of Arthur's bed had become the ultimate snuggle pile, with pillows, blankets and of course Arthur. Oh Arthur… He was now in his Union Jack pajamas screwing around on his computer.

"Woah…"

Arthur snickered. "You like it? I put in the Fairy Lights yesterday." Francis nodded and sat down next to the shorter Britton.

"So other than the fort like old times, what is your surprise?" Arthur looked at him in sarcastic wonderment.

"There's more? Of course there bloody is! We are going to watch a movie." He pulled up the blankets as an obvious gesture for Francis to crawl under with him.

"The really question is, what do you want to watch…" They scrolled through the list, until they came upon a movie called After the Ball, which they decided upon (Francis is always in the mood for a crappy romance) and settled in for the long run.

An hour into the movie, Arthur had fallen asleep on Francis' shoulder. Francis paused the movie and set the computer gently on the ground. He wrapped his arm around the other teen and craned his neck so he could see him. He sighed. Francis laid his head on the other's messy blonde hair.

"God Arthur, coming to camp with you is just torture. Everyday, watching you get up and grace the world with your presence, the way you smile, the way you argue, god it's not fair. The saddest thing of all is knowing, that one day, we won't be able to come back here… Then the next, you will be married and this will but a distant memory. It's not fair how much I love you…" He closed his eyes and silence reigned.

That was until moments later, his eyes snapped open at the feeling of someone kissing him. He looked at the brit's closed eyes and let himself melt into the motions. He smiled as a hand snaked its way up his neck and his hair. They stayed that way until, they had to break to breathe. Francis panted and ran a hand through his hair, and watched as Arthur looked down, catching his breath and trying to hide his embarrassment.

"How much did you…"

"All of it." Was the stout reply.

"How long have you…"

"Since we shared our first cabin together."

It was Francis this time that initiated it. Long and sweet, trying to make up for all of the years missed. Arthur melted and Francis took control, until they were breathless once more. They broke apart and Arthur busied himself trying to control his blush and straightening the blankets. He glared at Francis' grin, before sitting and smack his arm.

"Don't think that this changes anything!" He said sinking back into a warm embrace.

"Whatever Cher…" The frenchman replied kissing him on the nose. The Brit huffed and closed his eyes preparing for sleep. Francis held him tight and hummed, until he too, fell asleep.

Needless to say, later that night when all of the other councillors arrived, they were not at all surprised, to find them sleeping in their fort. In fact, the room was full of statements such as: "It's about goddamn time!" "Finally…" and "Thank god the sexual tension was killing me…"

Also needless to say, the fangirls of the world enjoyed the pictures a certain spaniard posted online with the catchphrase, _The SS FrogKing has Sailed!_

 _Translations:_

 _Cher - Dear_

 **Fairy lights... I didn't know what to call them, where I live, we call them Christmas lights, but I though fairy lights was pretty international. (Maybe?)**

 **Sorry if the romance was not very good in any of the chapters, its not really my expertise. Also for the startling lack of Spamano, I promise it will be in the next chapter. Pretty Please Review... with Snowflakes on top? Or maybe Absolute Zero?**


	9. In Which There is Too Much Dancing

**A/N: Reviews? Finally Things are almost settled.**

Antonio was so ready for this. _This is my time!_ He was on his way to the pavilion to meet Lovina, who had albeit, reluctantly invited him to tango, after much convincing from his part. He was going to convince her to be with him, even if it took the rest of the summer. (This was because he didn't notice that she was already. Lovina's denial rivaled the great wall of China.) The dew soaked through his shoes as he made his way towards the small building. The day was wet, very wet. It was still raining lightly, missing his hair and soaking the shoulders of his shirt.

He stumbled into the pavilion laughing. Lovina danced past him, taking a moment to stop and glare. He chuckled, sat down heavily on a bench and began to untie his shoes. As soon as he slipped them off, he moved with the grace of a hunter towards his prey. She had closed her eyes, but as he approached, he noticed her nostrils flare and one of her hazel eyes snap open to look at him.

Antonio met her mid step. The music had reached a peak and he closed his eyes as the guitar once again joined the song. The music was fast and he felt his Italian's warm breaths on his neck as they spun and stomped around the room. The beat pick up and it was like floating, the motions perfect with no practise, effortless on both sides. They took turns leading, dancing around the pavilion, filling the normally quiet space, with the sounds of stomping, clothes brushing, heavy breathing and the music. Even in all of Antonio's dreams, nothing could rival what was playing out in front of him. Her gravitational pull was at its greatest, he couldn't help himself, he stole a kiss, before lifting her off the ground for the last stanzas of the music.

He set her down and took a deep breath. She promptly melted onto a bench and began tying her hair up before a small smile crept across her face.

"That was good…" She stood up and walked slightly dizzily towards him. He reached out a hand and she grabbed it, not caring as he twirled her in. He rested his head on top of hers.

"I brought something I think you might like." He let go of her and walked towards the plastic bag sitting next to his shoes. He set it on the table as she curiously padded towards him, before plopping onto the bench next to him.

"This better be good Spanish Bastard." He chuckled at her affectionate nickname, before pulling out a perfect tomato. Lovina snatched it out of his hands before he could utter a word and began to devour it. He laughed and she gave a cross eyed glare. She stared at the tomato lovingly before popping the rest of it in her mouth and reaching into Antonio's bag to grab another. He smiled.

"I knew you would like it!" She paid no heed and continued eating. Antonio continued.  
"While you are doing that Lovina, I have something very important to tell you. Te Amo." She choked on her tomato.

"WHAT?!" She cough/screamed.

This time he felt a little less sure of himself. "Te Amo Lovina."

She stood up angrily. "You are Spanish! You literally come-a from the country of Passion! How can you be so blind-a and blunt?" She whirled to where he was now standing, looking very confused. She glared at him, hoping that the gears in his thick skull would work faster.

Antonio was confused. He began to pick apart her words, until he came to blind, and hit him like a wall. Scenes of them flashed in his mind and he laughed.

"Say it Lovina." He took a step closer.  
"Say what?" She asked taking a step towards him.

"You know what." He took another step and looked down at her.

"Fine, Ti Amo. Are we going to dance or what?" She said hands on her hips looking up at him. He grabbed a hand and spun her. The dance began, no music needed this time. They danced to the beating of their too fast hearts.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

It was a cold morning. Breakfast had been dull, and Sakura was glad to escape the suffocating silence of the Mess. Unit 4 had run outside and onto the green space in front of the flag. It was a wet morning as well. Just as they had begun a game of Bull Rush, there was an interruption.

The little red haired tagger, Olivia, stopped mid tag, to stare with mouth wide open at something in the distance. Her fellow tagger Luke, jogged up next to her and she pointed. His expression changed pretty darn fast. Sakura turned to see what they were looking at and she saw it at the head of the trail behind the flag pole.

It was Madeline and Alfred.

Pretty soon her whole unit was charging towards them, arms open, and questions flying. Sakura took the liberty to run the other way. She sprinted through the glass door, glance off of a bigger camper, before bursting into the Mess. She stood there breathless for a moment all eyes on her, even Amelia popped out of the kitchen to watch her.

"They're back." Was all she said before the room was thrown into utter chaos.

Amelia was the first out the door, Sakura close behind, They ran across the field to where the cluster of children was crowded around their beloved councillors. At the sight of Amelia, Alfred brightened, but continued standing next to the Canadian. That was when Sakura noticed how close they were to each other. Madeline was leaning on him, as if… Sakura's eyes reached their feet and she saw the splint on the Canadian's ankle. Amelia reached the two teens, with tears in her eyes.

"Alfred…" She stroked his face and gathered him into a bone crushing hug. All the children fell silent. Sakura pushed her way through to Madeline. She set a hand on her shoulder and the blonde girl's head snapped to her face, eyes showing only a moment of terror, before realizing who it was.

Sakura spoke first. "You should come with me… We need to get you medical help…" She opened her mouth to speak, but Alfred interrupted her.

"I agree completely." He broke the hug with his mother and swept the blonde off of her feet. "Let's go. Lead the way Sakura." The look of awe quickly disappeared off of the Japanese girls face and a look of determination replaced it. This was how she became the leader of a very strange parade. Herself, closely followed by Alfred and Madeline, while Amelia kept peeking over her sons shoulder and Heracles lead the children behind her.

After dropping Alfred, Amelia and Madeline at the camp's tiny hospital, Unit 4 broke off and headed toward the waterfront. It was their fifth time there, so there was no need for instructions, they got their buddies and took to the water like birds, leaving Sakura and Heracles all alone.

Heracles spoke first. "I have a place to show you. It is nearby…" He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the weeds. Sakura closed her eyes, knowing it was better just to go along with it and allowed the Grecian to pull her. So, when they stopped suddenly, it surprised her.

"You can open your eyes now." Heracles said. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking away the spotty sunlight. The first thing she noticed was the trees. The stood in a perfect circle, creating a cage of peace. The floor was perfectly flat and covered with pebbles that made it look mosaic. The place was perfect, she turned to Heracles, who was obviously enjoying face.

"How did you find this place?" She asked.

He shrugged. "By accident…." He spun her. She looked confused at his other hand that now rested on her hip and then up into his face. He gave her a lazy smile and began to waltz.

Sakura was now very bewildered. She stumbled along with his lazy steps, before finally get the rhythm. She sighed. _I should be used to his eccentricity by now…_ She looked down at her feet.

"Do you want to know why we are dancing?" She looked up at him and nodded.

"Its because I couldn't think of a better way of asking you to the End of Summer…" She blushed and looked down again. They stopped dancing and her lifted her face. She kept her eyes closed, hoping that it would make her invisible, that was until she felt his lips on hers. She kept her eyes shut and leaned in. She felt him smile.

Heracles pulled away slightly breathless, and looked down at her.

"I will take that as a yes?" He stole another kiss.

She broke it. "Hai."

He smiled and the dance began once more.

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Alfred was laying on Madeline's hospital bed. It was the late afternoon, but you couldn't see the sun, because a startling lack of windows. Madeline ran her hands through the American's hair and chuckled as he fumed. He sat up suddenly and she watched his face turn into what she called his Cupid smile.

"It turns out, while we were gone, Francy pants finally made his move on Artie and now they're a thing. Also, I was picking up on some Lovina and Antonio action, turns out he learned her secret and now they dance together in the mornings."

Madeline looked at him quizzically. He laughed. "Lovina 'Secretly' goes and Flamencos in the adventure course pavillion every morning. Apparently, Antonio found out and now they not only Tango together, but they are together together." She sighed.

"Anyone else." He nodded sadly.

"Heracles asked Sakura to the End of Summer." Another confused look from the first time councillor. "Its a big dance that's at the end of summer camp, hence the name End of Summer." She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh and when did you plan on inviting me to that?" Alfred looked at her exasperatedly and pouted.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, yes you do."

"Fine. Madeline Williams, will you go to the End of Summer with me?"

"I'll think about it." He looked at her over the edge of his glasses and she snickered.

"Fine. I will go with you Alfred Fitzpatrick Jones." He glared at her.

"You just had to add the middle name didn't you?" She cackled.

"Yes, yes I did." He rolled his eyes, before transforming back to business mode.

"Chun-Yan and Ivan had an in the closet make out session."

Madeline's eyes widened. "Really now?" He laughed.

"Yes, so that's not on the table anymore. Gilbert and Elizaveta have been together forever, since like 10th grade. So that only leaves Feli and Ludwig, only because Ludwig is no good with feelings... But never fear I have a plan!" She quirked a brow. "I think a little bit of music may do dinner tonight some good…" He smiled evilly. It took her a second, but when she did realize, she joined him in his smirking.

Feliciana had no clue what Alfred was about to do, when he hit play. But first, some background. Feliciana had been dying to get in the kitchen all summer and today was her chance, she was cooking an Italian style welcome back feast, while Amelia was looking after Madeline. The other side of the of the island in the middle of the kitchen was Ludwig. His idiot brother, one day after being taken down, wanted to be up and with the kids. Literally everyone told him to lay down, (Especially Ludwig) but he told them to fuck off and told Ludwig to take the afternoon off because he was sick of his pestering. So that was how a certain German and a carefree italian ended up in the kitchen cooking pasta and Tiramisu.

Feliciana had her hair up and her "Kiss the Cook" apron on. Ludwig watched her as she moved around the kitchen with a fluid like grace. She spun and hummed a song quietly as she put an inhuman amount of salt into a pot the size of a bath tub. Ludwig kept cutting up whatever vegetables she gave him, careful not to stare too long, in fear of her noticing. Little did he know, there was no way she was going to notice. Her eyes were shut as she flit around the kitchen, moving in time with the unheard melody and beat of her heart. Ludwig observed her and tried to asses what to do next…

This is where our friendly neighborhood Alfred comes in.

He hit play and began the wait.

As soon as Feliciana heard it, her eyes shot open and she looked around for the music source. That was, until her eyes settled on Ludwig and she gave a cat's smile. She was not going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers…

Ludwig watched as she stalked closer. Her caramel eyes holding something that he had never seen before, and if he would be so bold as to think, he liked. He stood as she approached and she eyed him, before lifting a brow and holding out a hand. He grabbed it. She grabbed his other and pulled him close.

"You will dance with me… Or die… It is your choice…" Her breath tickled his collar bone. Ludwigs ears perked, hearing the sorrowful melody for the first time. He pulled her tighter, trying to ignore the beating of his heart and the knots in his stomach.

"Then I guess I will have to dance." She smiled once more, this time a little sunshine leaking through.

She began to lead. It was slow and the movements were soft. Step, step, step, lean, step, step, spin and repeat. Half way through, Ludwig stepped up and she leaned against his chest and let it happen. He spun her and she giggled.

Soon the kitchen melted away. It was just them, and the music. The gentle ups and downs, the sweeping steps and the sorrow that was erased. As the song went on, the years began to melt away. The steps became wings and they were gone…

But nothing good ever lasts long…

They were all too soon brought back to earth by the last Stanza. She looked into his crystal blue eyes and a deal was made. She smiled and he sighed and it was sealed with a kiss, just as the last note played.

Alfred paused the music, his job was done.

Feliciana broke it, breathless and looked at his blushing face. "You must keep your promise…" He nodded and she smiled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his nose.

"Now let's finish dinner.

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Madeline was getting sick of laying in bed. That was all she had been doing for the last eight hours and her muscles were beginning to feel like soup. She already had a boot on, she didn't understand why she could not leave. Amelia scolded her every time she tried to get up and she was getting angry, mildmanneredness can only take you so far. That was why she was checking her phone so intently, Alfred had said he would come and get her at 11:00, not that she minded looking at their cave so much. She sighed. Alfred said it was for some sort of meeting. It was now 10:45 and she didn't know how much longer she could take. The knock at her door almost made her scream with joy, and Madeline never screamed.

"Are you decent?" A muffled voice said from behind the door.

"Come in blockhead. It took you long enough." There in the door appeared Alfred in all of his Nerdy glory.

"Are you sure you're not decent… Cause I'm sure I wouldn't mind…" She threw her shoe at him.

"Cheeky hoser aren't ya?" He winked.

"As ever…"

"Get me out of here, before I go nuts." He laughed and grabbed her hand as she stumbled.

"No need to thank me."

"You're right, there is no need. Now let's get to your damn meeting." Alfred made a sarcastic surprise face.

"We're a little bit spicy this afternoon are we…" Madeline smacked him and muttered some things to vulgar to write. Alfred laughed and dragged her out the doors into the night.

Madeline was not often surprised, but she was when she saw who was there. All of the councillors and how close some of them were sitting. Feliciana was actually sitting in Ludwig's lap, looking like it was exactly where she belonged. Madeline shrugged and when Alfred offered her a chair, she looked at with such disgust, you would think it molested her mother.

"To hell if It and sitting down again." Alfred pouted and there was light laughter. Before Alfred went business mode.  
"I have gathered you here to discuss the events of the past few days…" He was cut off by Gilbert who smiled lewdly.

"Yes, I know we would all love to know what you two did in that cave together."

Alfred blushed so hard Madeline thought that he would explode. She glared at Gilbert.

"Nothing like that, now sit down and keep it in your pants." Everyone laughed.

By the time they had finished up, Al had regained his composure.

"We have to end this." There was grumbles of agreement. "I say we wait it out until the End of Summer and we set a trap," There was cries of indignation, but he motioned for them to shush. "That is of course, unless someone tries to kill/hurt/harm us in anyway." Nods. He smiled, the bonfire lighting up his eyes like a match lighting a fuse.

"Let me tell you what I have in store for these bastards…."

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They watched the bonfire light up Alfred's as he told a story, they were too far away to hear what it was. They all turned and looked at each other. One spoke. "We are at an end, they have all been taken."

Another spoke. "Not quite yet…"

The last spoke. "On the night of the End of Summer, we strike."

Two cackled and one looked unsure.

 _Translations:_

 _Te Amo - I love you_

 _Ti Amo - I love you_

 _Hai - Yes_


	10. In Which July the 13th Happens

**N/A: Please review! Also this is my equivalent of a Halloween Episode. Also I have forgotten to inform you. This story should be 12 to 13 chapters long... I will be sad when it ends.**

Ludwig always looked forward to this day, it was the one day that he truly excelled at. It was July the 13th, or Camp Clearwater's equivalent of Halloween. He personally was great at it, because, though he tried not to be, most of the campers found him "intimidating". He smiled secretly, the Italian laying in his lap, she looked at him, eyebrows knit together. He smiled and he ran her hands through her hair. She sighed and closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. The corners of his mouth tugged up and the Italian sighed.

"You look so much better when you relax…"

He chuckled lightly, before he stopped moving his hands through her hair. She open her eyes and stared at him. It was disconcerting to him actually, to have her caramel eyes on him, she blinked.

"What?" She asked.

He blinked and shook his head. "Oh… What are you going to be for tonight?"

She sat up and smiled. "Sakura told me that she had something for us…. You know if-a you don't already have a costume…"

His signed with relief. "I didn't have anything… Thank god for Sakura." She laughed and leaned against him, basking in his heat.

Alfred just stared at them. "You guys need to sit down. You make me feel inadequate."

Antonio appeared next to him and laughed. "I agree. My bigger question is how did you get Mrs. Mary to switch you guys?"

Ludwig shrugged and looked at Feliciana, who smiled evilly. "I have my ways…"

Alfred shuddered and looked once more at Ludwig. "Ready to start?"

Ludwig pushed Feli off, who shivered and pouted, before standing up and walking towards the kitchen in the middle of Mary Randall.

Alfred followed closely behind. Ludwig nodded at him as they both began to set out the little plastic cups filled with colourful liquids.

The campers began to stream in moments later. The two units of 7-9 year olds, poked at each other, laughed and sat down at the three wooden tables. Ludwig cleared his throat, instantly gaining all of the attention in the room.

"We have three things to do for the next two hours. We will start with our first design challenge. You have 40 minutes to split into groups of five and come up with the most menacing Halloween themed Mento/Cola cannon. We will then proceed to have a war. Materials are in the far corner, your time starts now."

Kids made the let's-be-partners-best-buddies at each other and as soon as Ludwig said go, there was a mad rush towards the scrap pile. Alfred laughed and the kids began ripping duct tape and poorly cutting cardboard, and the councillors just sat back and watched.

40 Minutes Later….

They all sat outside on the main lawn. Six Halloween themed canons stood in a row. Feliciana stood in front of them, eyes tightly closed as she gripped a clipboard and smiled.

"I will be the beauty pageant judge." She waltzed over to the first one which was decorated with pumpkins and and gourds. Her caramel eyes popped open and she walked around it, nodding and writing notes. She repeated this six times, before skipping back to the judges table. At the last moment she whirled around, looking into the eager faces.

"We will now have the length contest and then we will announce the winners… One at a time. On Ludwig's mark…" The German man held up a hand, before seemingly giving into to gravity. Team one watched it fall. "GO!"

The "Cannon Fodder" was continued, the farthest spray reaching up to 3 meters away. In the end though, Team One won the distance contest and Team Three won the design challenge. They began to clean up, only after Alfred chugged a defective bottle of coke. There was laughing and spilling and quite a lot of stickiness. A gentle smile hung on Ludwig's face. Feliciana tucked herself under his arm and sighed. He looked down at her and made a face. She smiled.

Life was perfect….

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Madeline was once again sitting in her camp, staring at nothing and once again, two girls sat on either side of her, one gently poking her in the face. Madeline shook her head. The slightly younger girl was now sitting on the ground tying her shoelaces together. She looked up and saw a pair of mirthfully disapproving violet eyes.

She stood up and wiped the dirt off of her pants. "That was going to be funny…. By the way, we are finished cooking again and are now playing mafia." She walked off leaving Maddie alone with Madeline. The younger teen stood up.

"Your "Not-boyfriend" just arrived, so I'm off." She walked away in the same direction as Abby. Madeline looked around and sure enough, Alfred was sauntering up the path. She watched him as he walked right past her and into the game of Mafia that was going on around the fire. Madeline closed her eyes.

Sounds of laughter, snarky comments and the clatter of plastic dunk sets. Her eyes snapped open, and she strode over to her campers. They sat there laughing and messing around and it appeared as though Alfred took over the game.

"Just as Sammy…" He winked at her. "Walked through the door and INTO A PORTAL!" The teens rolled their eyes. Alfred pouted. "I thought that was pretty good…."

Anika yawned. "Maddie can do better." All eyes in the circle turned to face the brunette, who puffed her chest and stood.

"Gruesome or child friendly?" Smirks and evil smiles burned across the circle.

"Okay gruesome it is. Once upon a time…." Madeline sat down and the real game began.

After lunch was finished, the two councillors (Alfred had stayed, saying his unit was at waterfront and had no need of him) ushered the campers into the pavilion. Madeline perched on the front table as everyone settled, before she spoke.

"So what are we going to be for July the 13th?"

"Mable Pines."

"Jack Frost."

"Minnie Mouse."

"Sherlock."

"50s star."

"What are you going to be?" Hazel eyes probed Madeline. Alfred turned to her.

"Yeah Mads, What?"

She smirked. "Wait and find out." There was snickering and Alfred pouted again. Then there was silence. She broke it. "So what are you guys doing for the end of summer?" Instantly there was noise. Lexie spoke above it all.

"This is the first year we are allowed to stay up until sunrise! So of course we are going to party all night!" There was yays and a few hell yeahs. Madeline chuckled.

"Is there a theme?" This time Alfred answered.

"Yeah, for the first time ever, its music through the ages." Madeline looked at her campers who seemed surprised.

"Really a theme this year? But I already had a dress…" Niamh looked at the ground, obviously disappointed. Madeline stood up.

"How many of you already have a dress?" Every girl's hand went up. Madeline began pacing and muttering running over ideas in her head. She snapped her fingers, startling everyone who had been watching silently.

"What if I helped you edit your dresses? Or made accessories to help it work better?" Alfred looked at her in awe.

"You can do that?" Madeline gave her best "are-you-fucking-kidding-me?" look, before exasperatedly sighing.

"Yes dumbass, I can. You know who my mother is and you expect me not to know how to sew?" Alfred rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground embarrassed.

She turned to the tables. "Same for you gentlemen, I can edit your stuff as well. We have two weeks left… We will devote an hour a day to this." She paused. "Lets get to knives. I don't even want to see the look Natalia will give me if we show up late again." She watched the kids grab their backpacks and stream out following Alfred.

 _This was going to be fun…._

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She was gorgeous. Ivan couldn't help but stare. She had a white dress, the feathers made of book pages were glued to it randomly getting thicker towards the bottom. Behind the tule there were fairy lights making her look unearthly. On her back there was a huge pair of wings made of book pages. She looked magical and Ivan felt stupid in comparison to her. He was dressed as Genral Winter from the comics. Chun-Yan though, she was some sort of gorgeous book goddess. They had been in charge of handing out candy under the huge oak trees near the flagpole. Chun-Yan lit up the tiny place and Ivan thought it looked like it had been dipped in evening light. His favorite part of the whole thing is when she twirled. It made his heart stop and that was just ridiculous. She came back over from her most recent storytelling extravaganza and leaned back into him. He circled her in his arms and she sighed.

"You're warm." He smiled.

"So unlike my soul, da?" She laughed and that made him smile wider. A sound caught his attention. Down the path leading from the last spot, emiged Lovina dressed as mob boss, holding a lantern, guiding a string of children, all dressed in different, if not slightly spooky costume.

Chun-Yan released herself from Ivan's arms and glided over to meet them. Only to be stopped by Lovina. The Italian looked the Chinese girl straight in the eyes and said, "You need to calm the fudge down, you are making the rest of us look like slackers." Chun-Yan laughed.

"Well maybe that was intended." Lovina rolled her eyes and the five year olds following her ran after Chun-Yan like she was their savior come to life. He watched as she sat them in a circle and began to tell her story once more, her dress catching the awed look on their faces. Ivan tuned out the world and began to daydream, only hearing the rise and fall of his love's voice.

That is until a sound caught his attention. It came from behind him, a place where rustling sounds should not come from. He picked up his fake sword and stalked towards the bushes. Then he sliced it through.

"Ow! What the hell…" A scrawny boy tumbled out. "Watch where you're swinging that thing!" The kid had dirty blonde hair and was dressed up as Aquaman. After this realization, it struck Ivan why this was odd.

"Where is your group?"

The kid shrugged. "I left them…" Ivan gave him a look and he put his hands up defensively. "Only because I have to warn you! I was working with the people who have been doing the horrible things, but after what they did to Arthur, I was less certain… But Gilbert was the last straw…" The kid shuddered. "I can't tell you their name, because then they'll know it was me and I don't want to spend my last days here in the infirmary. I can tell you that they are planning something awful for the End of Summer… And that tonight, we'll be hunting Madeline. Keep an eye on her and don't tell Alfred. He'll freak out and send her to an isolated place, only making it easier for us. Be careful." With that the kid disappeared into the bushes, leaving Ivan alone with his thoughts.

Chun-Yan could notice a difference. In the way he talked, walked and looked at the world and it, whatever it may be happened in the last five minutes. As soon as the group left she confronted him.

"What happened Ivan, Aru?"

The russian looked at her as though she was a flower. She punched him.  
"Who is going to get hurt?" He gawked at her in surprise.

"How did you?" She rolled her eyes.

"I can read you like a book. So Spill."

"Madeline."

"How?"

"I don't know he didn't tell me. We have to…" He trailed off looking at her now hardened features.

"Yes." No one hurts her family. Madeline was a councillor and lived in her cabin, there fore she was family. Anyone that could control Alfred the way she did, certainly earned Chun-Yan's respect. She stared into Ivan's, telling him the plan without uttering a word. He nodded. She smiled.

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July the 13th was one of Arthur's favorite parts of the summer actually. He spent the whole night scaring the shit out of people and cackling. It was his kind of holidayish thing. This year for the whole dress up thing he was dressed as the 11th doctor, who was his unabashed favorite. His boyfriend ever the creative one was dressed as a cat, because get this, he was cold. _Sure…._ Arthur had thought, he saw what the frenchman was doing. This was no time for thinking about costumes. Arthur straightened himself and his thinking. He was headed off to war.

Every year, they held a game of capture the flag. A HUGE game. Arthur had always been one of the team captains. This year, Madeline was the other. She glared at him and he glared at her as they stood across an invisible line from each other. He spoke.

"Ladies first." She shot him a look before replying.

"I think it's babies first." A hush fell over the gathering of at least 50 people. Arthur shrugged.

"I will take no shame in picking first." He scanned the crowd for the right person. Alfred would honestly be his first pick, if he had not heard what a little birdy named Ivan had told him. So he would have to settle for second best.

"Ludwig." Francis looked insulted and he just smirked. Madeline shot him a confused look, before picking next.

"Alfred."

"Francis."

"Ivan."

"Antonio."

"Chun-Yan."

It continued until everyone had a team. Mary began the process of starting the actual game.

"Present your flags."

Madeline had made them this year. They had decided to do it themed with their costumes. So Arthur held out his white flag with TARDIS emblem on it. There were oohs and ahs, but not quite as many as when Madeline held out her green flag with Mjolnir and nordic designs behind it. He knew she had put more time into her own but he really couldn't complain, because one, the TARDIS she had done was fabulous and two, her Genderbent Thor Cosplay was to kill for. Mary continued.

"11," She said gesturing to Arthur. "Your teams jail in the Mess' porch and Thor your jail is the Gaga Ball it. You will have 5 minutes to hide it, you time starts now!" The last thing Arthur saw before being whisked away was a very happy Captain America (Alfred) Skipping after a god of old. He smiled.

30 Minutes Later…

Things were not going well for him. So far he was way back in the woods, nearing the stables from a path only he and Alfred knew about. He also knew that more than half of his team had been captured and that Alfred was well on his way to the waterfront. A rustle of leaves made his blood run cold.

He had initially thought that someone was coming to tag him, so he scurried up the nearest tree, only to discover how close he truly was to the barn. Moonlight shone down on the two figures that stood there. Madeline was talking to Chun-Yan albeit quietly, but just loud enough that he could hear the Canadian giggle about something the other teen said.

That was when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. Three black figures, ninjas, crept closer to the barn from right below him. _This is what Ivan was talking about…._ He made a bird call and Chun-Yan was instantly on high alert, cutting off Madeline's story so she could hear.

He saw Chun-Yan whisper something and the Canadian shook her head vehemently and haul an obviously not so fake Mjolnir over her shoulder, ready to swing at whatever came her way. Suddenly the three figures charged out of the woods, straight towards them, their obviously not so fake swords raised in a strike position. Chun-Yan ripped off her skirt and grabbed a stick engaging the first combatant. Arthur watched at Madeline pulled Alfred's not so fake Captain America shield off of her back and engaging the second combatant. Two people, that left one more ninja to stab them in the back. Arthur ripped off his tweed coat and pulled out his sonic screwdriver and a fencing sword he stole from Francis. He jumped down from his tree and ran into battle.

15 Minutes Later….

The three assassins laid on the ground. Chun-Yan had used the tulle from her dress to tie hers up. Madeline had knocked her's unconscious with her hammer. Arthurs was the only one not completely incapacitated, that's not to say there wasn't a sword pointed at its trachea. Its eyes gazed up calmly at the Britton as the teens caught their breath. There was a sound from the direction of the meadow. Cheering. Damn. When the three councillors looked back down their assailants were gone.

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Getting knocked out was not fun. They ran through the woods, dragging the Flash behind them. The one dressed as Arrow looked at the other dresses as Canary and nodded. Thought the attack didn't go as planned, there was a traitor in their midst. Someone had listened in on them, and now they would meet their katanas. The final plan was already in motion.


	11. In Which the Prank War Happens

**A/N - Sorry about the forever wait and not very good writing.**

It was officially Lovina's least favorite week of the entire fucking year. Prank week. The last week of Camp Clearwater, was always devoted to Ivan and Abby's ridiculous prank war. It had started when Abby was six and snuck into his cottage and dumped a bucket of water on his face. It had escalated from there. Now people picked teams and you had to wear full body armour to go to the bathroom. She sighed and looked around the Mess like a dead woman, hair falling across her face. A warm hand was lain on her back. She huffed and looked back up at the sunny smile.

"I don't trust people who smile before nine o'clock in morning." She stated. He had the audacity to laugh.

"Well if that's the case Lovina, why in all of dio de green earth are you dating me?"

She wrinkled her nose and laid her head back on the table.

"I will take that as I love you, please get me coffee. My answer is yes of course." He practically skipped away. She heard giggling next to her and sat up glaring at her sister and Sakura.

"And what the HELL is so funny?" They began laughing.

"He is just so precious. You are ridiculous!" Her sister exclaimed, patting her hair as though it would help. Lovina growled and was about to say something snarky, when Feliciana was distracted by her boyfriend arriving and Sakura with Heracles' very-visible-through-his-almost-clear-shirt abs. Lovina lays her face back down on the table, only to find that a plate full of shaving cream had been placed there. She muttered and shrugged, hearing the sounds of high fives and the moans of how there was no reaction.

She grabbed her backpack and headed for the showers, grabbing the plate of shaving cream before she left. _No point in wasting perfectly good shaving cream…._

She returned feeling refreshed. Sitting down in the same place she left, she noticed cup of coffee that left there. Lovina looked around for the "culprit", she caught Antonio's eye and he winked. That meant the coffee was safe. She took a sip and it was perfect. She smiled softly just under the rim of the cup. Madeline slid into the seat next to her and flicked her in the head. Lovina stuck out her tongue. Strangely enough, over the last few weeks, The canadian and herself had gotten closer, mutually bonding over their dumbass counterparts and bitchiness. Madeline set down her food and watched Lovina drink her coffee.

"So have you and toni done it yet?" That effectively made her spit her coffee all over Ludwig who was sitting across from her. Madeline did her best not to smile, until she burst out laughing.

"God! That was perfect!"

Lovina smacked her arm.

"You Bitch!"

Madeline smiled one more time, before it melted off her face. The lowered her head and her voice.

"Could you explain the whole prank week thing to me? I don't really get it…."

Lovina patted her on the head and smiled cruelly. "You poor peasant bastard! Well it all started six years ago, when Maddie, you know the one in your unit, dared Abby to dump a bucket of water on the then older camper Ivan. Being the dumbass she is, she actually did it. That started the mutual hatred, as well as they can insult each other in Russian without us knowing." Madeline smiled at that.

"Teams?"

"I believe that the team names this year are Big Red and Badassery." Madeline quirked a brow. "I know for a fact that both Antonio are on team Big Red." Madeline smiled cruelly.

"What about adding in a little friendly competition?" Lovina nodded and they shook hands. _This was going to be a good year… Nothing crazy of course….._

That was until, as she stood to bus her trey, a bucket of catsup was dumped on her head. She could feel the anger flood through her.

 _Shit just got serious….._

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Heracles was officially afraid for his life. It was only Tuesday and there had already been casualties. If you were pranked you were considered dead, that was only if you were on a team. So far the body count for Big Red was very high, ten people in one day. As usual, Abby's team's body count was much smaller, because as usual, Team Badassery was all female. Which apparently makes you harder to kill. This was Heracles big hurra. Each Councillor was given one big prank to orchestrate and Heracles was up. As you would expect, his scheme involved cats.

It was night when the first wave was sent out. Sakura was the one to answer the door. Heracles watched from the bushes near by. The little brown tabby cat scratched gently at the screen of the cabin door. She smiled at the kitten and welcomed it in. There was the sound of cooing as the kitten obviously did something cute. The next kitten was sent in. It was little and white and had a bright pink collar. This time Feliciana opened the door. As soon as she saw the tiny beast, she scooped it up and scurried inside.

More cooing ensued.

Heracles sent the final cat up to the door, this one was by far the cutest, with ginger fur and little green eyes. It scratched on the screen door and it was swung wide open Madeline, Sakura and Lovina let the cat in as they exited the cabin.

Not 30 seconds later the pretty collars those kittens had been wearing, exploded, sending confetti everywhere. The three councillors who had managed to escape the attack high fived and began to walk towards the waterfront. Heracles sighed and untangled himself from the bushes. Ivan was not going to be happy….

It was later that night that Heracles was really looking forward to. He had invited Sakura on a date. A real one. Like where they could contemplate the universe while eating baklava and watching the stars.

 _The stars…._

That is what Heracles liked best about camp. It was like a careless thief had dropped diamonds on the sky's blue path. He missed them during the school year. Athens is a capital city and with all the light pollution, he was lucky if he caught more than a hundred stars, but here…. There were billions.

A small hand was set upon his fluffy hair and he looked up. The stars reflected off her eyes as she laughed at his expression. She laid down next to him, every few minutes scooting closer, to combat the chilly air. They were silent as always, just watching the stars.

After a while they sat up and began to eat the baklava Heracles' step brother, Sadiq, had somehow managed to send him. It was delicious as always. Heracles stopped mid bite when a thought wandered across his mind.

"What do the stars look like to you?"

She quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well to me they look like Glass some god shattered across a piece of dark blue silk."

She laughed.

"To me it looks like diamonds upon a velvet cushion. Priceless." In one fluid motion from behind her back, she pulled a pie and smashed it in his face. "Just like the look on your face…"

He smirked and grabbed her, carrying her bridal style before unceremoniously dumping her in the lake. She splashed him and he laughed.

 _This is why I love camp…._

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Madeline was beginning to feel swamped. She had finished five out of the eleven dresses she needed to was working on Maddie's 1960's dress. It had quarter length sleeves, a black and white diamond pattern, thick black belt, collar and it was buttoned down. She had dug through the shoe bins and managed to find some golf style kitten heels. It was really a cute outfit and she couldn't wait to see the look on the younger girls face.

She smiled softly. She felt a hand brush through her tangled hair and looked up. It was Alfred. He smiled and sat down beside her.

"How is it going?" He asked. She sighed and stared at the little light of the sewing machine.

"I've been better. There is still so much to do…." He slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, I can help." She laughed. "Not funny! And don't you have a unit full of people that can help?"

She looked at him and tapped her chin.

"You do have a point…. Al, you round up the troops! I need to stretch and rest my eyes."

Alfred stood up and waltzed towards the door of the craft hut.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

She made shooing motions and he jogged out into the night. Madeline stood up rubbed her eye and looked around the small room. On the back wall were the dresses that she had already assembled, along with the shoes and jewelry, lined up in chronological order. They were gorgeous, as far as she was concerned. All of the fabric was either recycled or Alfred had taken her on a little bit of a shopping spree a few days back, so from the fabric store in town. She had sorted through hundreds of pairs of shoes, in the dress up bin and thrift shops near by. She had all of the rest of the dress sketched, minus her own, and shoe for each. She sat down at one of her work stations and just closed her eyes, meaning only to rest. Sadly, sleep was irresistible.

She was awoken by the light shaking of her shoulder. SHe sat up quickly startling Alfred who had woken her up.

"Woah there! I just wanted to inform you that we have all hands on deck. I would have brought my unit, but I figured seven year olds and sharp things… Not a good mix." She almost cried in relief at seeing her unit silent and ready to take orders. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Madeline stood in front of them hands on her hips, looking loud and in charge.

"We will be splitting into four teams of four. Find your group and report to me with skills and a kick ass group name."

As it turns out, only about half the kids could sew. Madeline had put the others on cutting and tracing duty and design challenge duty. Alfred acted as supervisor, disappearing to grab things and reappearing, just when you needed him to.

After an hour they had become a well oiled machine. Pumping out one of a kind master piece dresses in under an hour each. As soon as the bits and pieces were finished being cut out, they were sent down the assembly line to the sewing machinists. From there the parts were assembled further and the finishing touches were added, before Helen and Kate collected them. The two girls them put the dresses on to the dress dummies and onto display on the back wall of the miniature cabin.

They all stood back and admired their handy work. They were gorgeous all ten of them. Madeline smiled proudly, before looking back at her campers.

"Great job you guys…. I think it's time to hit the hay…"

Alfred stepped forward.

"Oh no it's not. We have one more thing to give you." He motioned to Niamh, whose eyes lit up as she understood. She disappeared into the storage closet, emerging moments later with a dress dummy. On it was the most beautiful 1920s flapper dress she had ever seen.

Maddie, Lexie, Phoenix, Per and Anika stepped forward.

Maddie spoke first. "I did some research and came up with the design…."

Per cut her off "I designed Alfred's counterpart."

Lexie brushed the dress gently. "We," She gestured to the remaining girls. "did all the technical part."

"I did the beading." Anika said pulling on the strands of beads just hanging.

"I did the detail work." Phoenix pointed to the chevy looking pattern.

"I did genral assembly." Even before Lexie was done speaking, Madeline had scooped them all up into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you…" She muttered over their heads and they beamed.

When she did finally let go, she took up her serious attitude once more.

"Now off to bed! Get some good sleep and absolutely no pranking tonight." She gave a pointed look to Abby who grumbled in Russian, before tripping her way out.

 _This is why I love camp…._

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Whoever decided to put Alfred in charge of the dance, must have been on drugs. They had put HIM, IN CHARGE of the LARGEST event of the summer. Alfred stared at the place he was to set up. It was a huge empty room at the back of the Mess Hall. He wandered around before collapsing on the floor. He stare at nothing as the buttery sunlight streamed through the large dusty windows. He sighed. _There is no way in hell I am going to be able to pull this off…_

His slight self loathing intensified. He growled at himself and bangied his head on the floor. Just as his head struck the wood floors, an idea did instead. He peeled himself off the floor and sprinted across the room, only tripping once on his own foot.

Mary had approved his new change in venue. The party was now to take place on the open field near the adventure course. There was Lovina's Pavilion there, where they could serve food and as a bonus it had bathrooms. The outside was cool at night, unlike the stuffy room and the basket ball court could serve as the dance floor. There was electricity, infinite space and a place to look at the stars. Now all that was left to do was plan it. Alfred grinned.

 _This is going to be a piece of cake…_

As it turns out, party planning was a lot harder than Alfred expected. Sure he had the means and the mind to do it. It was just that every idea he had was impossible. When he had told Madeline this, she had laughed and punched him in the arm. Telling him to channel what he liked best about camp, into its biggest event. But now that he stood there looking at the practically empty field, he felt an overwhelming wave of failure. Then he remembered not only was he to set up the dance, he also had to set up a trap for the Ninjas. He sighed and banged his head against one of the basketball poles. That was when it struck him. His favorite place…. Fairy lights… And the tree cabinet…. He had his sketchbook in his lap in two seconds flat.

An hour later, he looked fondly down at his handy work. It was gorgeous, as far as he was concerned. It was classy, but also campy. It was 20s speakeasy, but also 90s rave. He had been able to get the cost cut in half, by using some of his contacts. All that was left to do was wait.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

They were in the woods again, practicing. He swung his katana slowly at the tree as the new drills were screamed at him. He was going to have to come clean eventually. It was just a matter of when. He was startled out of his ponderings by a clout to the ear. He sighed.

 _There will be hell to pay for this…_

 **As a side note, Abby (Team Badassery) won the prank war. Review Please!**


End file.
